Department for Transport

Driving Licences

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether requiring valid identification for voting is a permitted reason for requesting a provisional driver's licence.

Mr Richard Holden: The statutory purpose of a driving licence is to convey the licence holder’s entitlement to drive.

Rigmaden bridge: Repairs and Maintenance

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will meet the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale to discuss the potential merits of repairing Rigmaden bridge.

Mr Richard Holden: DfT Ministers are always happy to meet with MPs. In this financial year (2022/23), the Department is providing Cumbria County Council with over £33 million in highways maintenance funding. As per section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, it is up to Cumbria County Council as the local highway authority to decide how best they maintain their respective local highway network, including Rigmaden bridge, based on local needs and priorities.

Driving Tests: Erith and Thamesmead

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the shortage of practical driving tests in Erith and Thamesmead constituency.

Mr Richard Holden: To help increase practical driving test availability, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is recruiting more than 300 driving examiners across Great Britain, including in the Erith and Thamesmead area. The DVSA’s examiner recruitment campaigns continue to be successful but, like many employers, the DVSA is finding the job market extremely competitive. As it moves through each recruitment campaign, the DVSA will continually review and make changes and improvements to its recruitment and selection process, and training courses. The DVSA is working hard to provide as many practical driving test appointments as it can, with several measures in place to do this.These include:offering a national recovery allowance and annual leave buy back to driving examiners;asking all those qualified to conduct tests, but who do not do so as part of their current day job, to return to conducting tests where capacity allows;conducting out of hours testing (such as on public holidays and weekends); andresuming the number of driving tests per day to seven for each full-time examiner. The DVSA has launched a ‘Ready to Pass?’ campaign to improve learners’ understanding of how they can assess their own readiness for test. An open day was held on 16 October in Erith and Thamesmead for customers to meet driving examiners and find out more about being test ready.

Bus Services: Standards

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Inclusive Transport Strategy, updated on 3 November 2022, what progress his Department has made on (a) creating a standard for accessible bus stations and stops and (b) in developing a toolkit to assist local authorities in improving the accessibility of bus stations and stops.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department has initiated the research procurement process that will enable us to understand the impact of bus station and stop design on disabled people and other users. This will inform future work on a potential accessible design standard and local authority toolkit.

Department for Transport: Written Questions

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer from the Minister of State to the Question from the hon. Member for Luton South of 13 October 2022, Official Report, column 234, when he plans to respond in more detail on Luton station.

Huw Merriman: I wrote to the Hon Member on 3 November 2022 regarding Luton Station, on behalf of my predecessor, following the question of 13 October 2022.

Cycling and Walking

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if it remains his policy to implement support for active travel as outlined in his Department's Gear Change document.

Jesse Norman: In July 2022, the Government published the second statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS2), reaffirming its commitment to active travel and setting out the objectives and the financial resources in place to achieve these for the period 2021 to 2025. In August 2022, the Department formally established Active Travel England as an Executive Agency. Active Travel England is already overseeing the delivery of £200 million of active travel schemes this financial year, and is rapidly recruiting its core staff, as well as putting in place its formal governance structures.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Alternative Fuel Payments

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that all eligible households receive the £100 Alternative Fuel Payment from their electricity providers.

Graham Stuart: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospices: Energy

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to take steps to provide additional financial support with energy bills for charity children’s hospices including Children’s Hospices Across Scotland, in the context of rising energy bills.

Graham Stuart: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Alternative Fuel Payments

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to issue the £100 Alternative Fuel Payment to households who are not on the mains gas grid.

Graham Stuart: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Energy: Profits

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) capping and (b) increasing regulation of the profits of Distribution Network Operators.

Graham Stuart: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Energy: Prices

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with representatives of Ofgem on the Distribution Network Operators pricing consultation; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reopening this consultation.

Graham Stuart: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Energy: Prices

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential relationship between the profits of Distribution Network Operators and consumer energy costs.

Graham Stuart: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Energy: Pre-payment

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is his Department's policy that energy companies should be able to install pre-payment meters in homes without (a) notice and (b) homeowner permission; and whether he has made a recent estimate of how many times this has happened to people who are in hospital in the last 12 months.

Graham Stuart: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Energy Bills Rebate: District Heating

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish details on the additional £100 Energy Bills Support payment for households who are part of a local domestic heat network.

Graham Stuart: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Energy Bills Rebate: District Heating

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish guidance on the Energy Bills Support Scheme for households who receive their energy through private heat and power networks.

Graham Stuart: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Carbon Emissions: Regulation

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to update the Ofgem's Strategy and Policy Statement to enable it to regulate for Net Zero.

Graham Stuart: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many businesses took out loans through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an estimate of the number of businesses that took out loans through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme that have since ceased trading.

Kevin Hollinrake: In total, 97,846 facilities were drawn down by businesses under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), totalling £25.86 billion. As of 31 March 2022, 1,858 facilities (0.19%) had been subject to a default, meaning that the lender had issued a formal demand to the borrower. BEIS has not made an estimate of the number of businesses that took out loans through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme that have since ceased trading. This will be considered as part of the scheme's ongoing evaluation, which will consider the impact of CBILS on business survival.

Offshore Industry: Resignations

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of the number of offshore workers who have left the oil and gas sector for roles on higher salaries in the (a) offshore wind and (b) nuclear industry in the last three years.

Graham Stuart: The Government does not collect data which would allow it to make such estimates.

Offshore Industry: Employment

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to estimate the demand for workers in the offshore oil and gas industry in the next two years.

Graham Stuart: The Government has not estimated future demand for workers in the offshore oil and gas industry over the next two years. The sector’s trade body Offshore Energies UK produces an annual Workforce Insight Report that includes some analysis and discussion of future demand for offshore oil and gas workers. Their 2021 report can be found here : https://oeuk.org.uk/product/workforce-insight-report-2021/.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Redundancy Pay

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the cost to the public purse has been of Ministerial severance pay in his Department in each year since 1 January 2016.

Kevin Hollinrake: Under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, eligible Ministers who leave office are entitled to a one-off payment equivalent to one quarter of their annual salary at the point at which they leave Government. This applies only where a Minister is under 65 and is not appointed to a ministerial office within three weeks of leaving government. Individuals may waive the payment to which they are entitled. That is a matter for their personal discretion, but this approach has been taken in the past. Details of such payments are published in departmental annual reports and accounts, and ministerial salaries are published on GOV.UK.Salaries of Members of HMG, 2021-22 (pdf, 204.7KB)

Energy Supply: Offshore Industry

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much and what proportion of national energy demand was met by domestic sources of offshore oil and gas in each month from January to September 2022.

Graham Stuart: The table below shows the proportion of total UK energy demand met from domestic oil and gas production, alongside production and demand for each month from January to August 2022. Data for September will be published on the 24th of November 2022.  MonthDomestic oil and gas production* (million tonnes of oil equivalent)Total energy demand (million tonnes of oil equivalent)Domestic oil and gas production* as a % of total demandJanuary 20227.117.141%February 20226.415.641%March 20226.915.544%April 20226.714.446%May 20226.812.953%June 20226.211.952%July 20226.712.255%August 2022 [provisional]5.512.245% * Domestic oil and gas production includes a small amount (on average less than 5% per annum) of onshore production which is not separately identified within these monthly data.Source: Energy Trends Tables 1.1 and 1.2

Offshore Industry: Continental Shelf

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on annual levels of (a) exploration and (b) production of oil and gas on the UK Continental Shelf between 2022-23 and 2024-25.

Graham Stuart: The North Sea Transition Authority provides data and projections on a calendar year-basis, publishing projections for production but not exploration. The number of exploration wells will depend upon the results of the 33rd Licensing Round, which closes on 12 January 2023. Production projections can be found here: https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/media/8365/nsta-august-2022-production-projections-plus-ccc-and-beis-demand-projections.xlsx.

Offshore Industry: Working Hours

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the offshore oil and gas workforce employed on contracts requiring a three-week on, three-week off shift pattern.

Graham Stuart: The Government does not collect data which would allow it to make such an estimate.

Energy Bills Rebate: Rented Housing

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with energy suppliers on how the Energy Bills Support Scheme can support tenants with mental health conditions, physical or learning disabilities in supported landlord schemes.

Graham Stuart: The Energy Prices Act includes provisions to require landlords and other intermediaries to pass energy price support provided by the Energy Price Guarantee, Energy Bills Support Scheme, or Energy Bill Relief Scheme as appropriate to end users who are the intended beneficiaries of the relevant schemes. As a part of complying with the public sectors equalities duty, conversations with stakeholders included discussions on protected characteristics. These discussions fed into the public sector equality duty and to policy and delivery decisions.

Science: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November to Question 72254 on Science: Research, for a spending breakdown of the £750m funding committed to supporting international partnerships.

George Freeman: This Department has committed around £750 million of funding for international science, technology, research and innovation partnerships over this Spending Review period. This funding will be delivered through our existing funding mechanisms – the Global Challenges Research Fund, the Newton Fund and the Fund for International Collaboration – until these come to a natural close. These will be succeeded by a new funding vehicle to mobilise both ODA- and non-ODA-eligible international research activity, to support collaboration in areas both of UK strategic advantage and to support development priorities. This funding vehicle is still in development so precise funding figures will be confirmed at launch.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Parler

Alex Davies-Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what meetings have taken place between (a) Cabinet members and (b) other Ministers and social media network, Parler, since December 2019.

Jeremy Quin: There have been no meetings between Cabinet Office ministers and Parler.Full details of all departments’ ministerial meetings are published quarterly and can be found on GOV.UK.

Business: Ethnic Groups

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential barriers to minority ethnic owned businesses accessing Government contracts.

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to convene a Government taskforce to increase the number of ethnic minority-led businesses in public procurement.

Jeremy Quin: UK public procurement policy is to award contracts on the basis of value for money, which means the optimum combination of cost and quality over the lifetime of the project. Public sector procurers are required to assess value for money from the perspective of the contracting authority, using criteria linked to the subject matter of the contract, including compliance with the published specification.A Social Value model launched on 1 January 2021 (PPN 06/20), which is applicable to central Government departments, requires contracts to be assessed on a range of priority outcomes, where it is relevant and proportionate to do so, including improving accessibility to government contracts by a range of types of organisations, including minority ethnic owned businesses. This new approach will mean more opportunities for SMEs and social enterprises to win Government contracts by demonstrating the full extent of the value they would generateAs we look towards the future, we now have an opportunity to develop and implement a new procurement regime. The Procurement Bill contains proposals to further simplify the procurement process and make it easier for all companies to bid. The changes that are proposed are designed to benefit businesses of all sizes throughout the whole economy, including ethnic minority businesses; this includes measures that will reduce barriers to entry including establishing a single transparency platform so that bidders only have to submit their core credentials once, and making reforms to procurement frameworks so that suppliers are not locked out.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS Digital: Cybersecurity

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he was informed about the cyber incident that is affecting the NHS Digital Mental Health Services Monthly Statistics.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS Digital: Cybersecurity

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether any (a) patient sensitive and (b) other confidential data was compromised in the cyber incident that is affecting the NHS Digital Mental Health Services Monthly Statistics.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS Digital: Cybersecurity

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the cyber incident that is affecting the NHS Digital Mental Health Services Monthly Statistics occurred.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS Digital: Cybersecurity

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether any future publications of the NHS Digital Mental Health Services Monthly Statistics will be affected by the cyber incident.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS Digital: Cybersecurity

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of when the cyber incident that is affecting the publication of the NHS Digital Mental Health Services Monthly Statistics will be resolved; and what his planned timetable is for the publication of the full dataset.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Medical Records: Internet

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has considered the potential merits of a universal system of online e-health records to support people as they age.

Will Quince: NHS England’s Shared Care Records programme is developing a birth-to-death record.Shared Care Records aggregate information on an individual’s care records and care plans from a range of providers of health and care services. This will be available to authorised professionals for direct care to that individual and to patients and their approved carers. We will enable patients and their approved carers to contribute specific information on what matters to them to reduce the need to repeat personal histories. The programme is discussing opportunities to adopt a common approach with the devolved administrations using the International Patient Summary.

General Practitioners

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many fully qualified full time equivalent GPs there were in England in each year since 2015.

Neil O'Brien: The table below shows the number of fully qualified full-time equivalent GPs in England in each year since 2015.DateFully Qualified GPs (FTE)Doctors in GP Training Grade (FTE) Total Doctors in General Practice (FTE) September 201529,3645,02734,392September 201629,4745,73235,206September 201729,1295,50834,637September 201828,4895,88034,369September 201928,1826,54734,729September 202027,9397,45435,393September 202127,9208,57636,495September 202227,5569,47037,026 Notes:Data includes estimates for practices that did not provide fully valid staff records.Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) refers to the proportion of full time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work. 1 would indicate they work a full set of hours (37.5), 0.5 that they worked half time.In GPs in Training Grade contracts 1 FTE = 40 hours and in this table these FTEs have been converted to the standard wMDS measure of 1 FTE = 37.5 hours for consistency.Figures shown do not include staff working in Prisons, Army Bases, Educational Establishments, Specialist Care Centres including Drug Rehabilitation Centres, Walk-In Centres and other alternative settings outside of traditional general practice such as urgent treatment centres and minor injury units.Figures from the first three collections (September 2015, March 2016 and September 2016) should be treated with caution as the data submission rates from practices were appreciably lower than for subsequent reporting periods. This means that the reported figures for the early years of the collection may be lower than the true picture. In September 2015, which was the first extract from the new Workforce Minimum Data Set, only three of four Health Education England regions submitted data. Consequently, September 2015 figures should be treated with additional caution.From June 2018 onwards, the data source for doctors in GP Training Grade (foundation and specialty registrar trainees on placements in General Practice) changed to the HEE Trainee Information System (TIS). To ensure comparability across the national time series, data from both old and new sources was used to calculate estimates for previously uncounted doctors in GP Training Grade back to September 2015. Prior to TIS, the sources for the GP registrar data were the main General Practice Workforce data collection and an additional extract of medical trainees delivering primary care services who were paid through ESR. In doctors in GP Training Grade contracts 1 FTE = 40 hours, however to ensure consistency in this table these FTEs have been converted to the standard wMDS measure of 1 FTE = 37.5 hours.

Department of Health and Social Care: Management Consultants

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department spent on management consultants in the 2021-22 financial year.

Will Quince: The information requested is currently being audited and will be published in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2021/22.

Health Services: Females

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled Women’s Health Strategy for England, published 20 July 2022, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on support for women and girls with (a) menstrual and (b) gynaecological conditions in education settings since the publication of that strategy.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled Women’s Health Strategy for England, published 20 July 2022, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for women and girls with (a) menstrual and (b) gynaecological conditions in the workplace since the publication of that strategy.

Maria Caulfield: Ministers are exploring support for women and girls with menstrual and gynaecological conditions and are working across Government to achieve this. Initial discussions have taken place with other departments, including the Government Equalities office.

Maternity Services: Staffordshire

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of maternity and neonatal services in North Staffordshire.

Maria Caulfield: Maternity and neonatal services in North Staffordshire are provided at two sites by University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust at the County Hospital in Stafford and The Royal Stoke University Hospital. Maternity services at the County Hospital and the Royal Stoke University Hospital were last inspected by the Care Quality Commission in 2019 and rated as good overall, with the safe domain rated as requires improvement.Whilst there are no plans currently in place to make a further assessment of the effectiveness of maternity and neonatal services in North Staffordshire, I would be happy to meet the hon. Member to address their concerns directly.

Pregnancy: Research

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to include additional funding for research on the common complications of pregnancy as part of the Women’s Health Strategy.

Maria Caulfield: The Women’s Health Strategy included an ambition to increase research into women’s health issues, including pregnancy. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) commissions research on behalf of the Department and welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including women’s health conditions and pregnancy. However, it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

Pregnancy: Drugs

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Healthy Mum, Healthy Future, Healthy Baby report published in May 2022 will be considered by the Maternities Disparities Taskforce.

Maria Caulfield: We are developing future topics and agendas for Taskforce meetings and this report can be considered in those discussions.

General Practitioners: Portsmouth South

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of GP surgeries were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Portsmouth as of 10 November 2022.

Neil O'Brien: There are currently 10 or 90.9% of general practitioner practices in the Portsmouth local authority area which are rated as ‘good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission.

General Practitioners: Portsmouth South

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of GPs in Portsmouth South constituency.

Neil O'Brien: We are working with NHS England, Health Education England and the profession to increase the general practice workforce in England, including in Portsmouth South. This includes measures to improve recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encourage them to return to practice. The updated GP Contract Framework announced a number of new schemes, alongside continued support for existing recruitment and retention schemes for the general practice workforce. This includes the GP Retention Scheme, the GP Retention Fund, the National GP Induction and Refresher, the Locum Support Scheme, the New to Partnership Payment and the Supporting Mentors Scheme.

General Practitioners: Greater Manchester

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve GP retention in the NHS Greater Manchester ICS area.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

General Practitioners: Recruitment

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on its commitment to recruiting an additional 6,000 GPs.

Neil O'Brien: As of September 2022, there were approximately 2,300 additional full time equivalent doctors working in general practice compared to September 2019. We are working with NHS England and Health Education England to increase recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave, and encourage them to return to practice. We have increased the number of general practitioner (GP) training places to 4,000 per year. The 2020 updated GP Contract Framework announced a number of new retention schemes alongside continued support for existing schemes for the general practice workforce. Since 2019 we have also recruited over 19,305 additional staff into general practice covering a range of roles, such as clinical pharmacists.

Influenza: Vaccination

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has met with NHS England to discuss concerns over inappropriate administration of QIVe flu vaccine to patients aged 65 years or older in the South East region.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Influenza: Vaccination

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the findings of the NHS England investigation into the administration of QIVe flu vaccine to patients aged 65 years or older.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Influenza: Vaccination

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients aged 65 or over who had been inappropriately given the QIVe flu vaccine have been offered the opportunity to receive a vaccine which is appropriate for their age group since 5 October 2022.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

General Practitioners: Portsmouth South

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of full time equivalent fully qualified GPs, excluding GPs in a training grade, who were practicing in Portsmouth South constituency on (a) 11 November 2022 and (b) in 2013.

Neil O'Brien: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Prescriptions: Miscarriage

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will issue guidance to midwifes, GPs and health visitors on the timeframe in which a Matex certificate should be applied for after a woman becomes pregnant.

Neil O'Brien: The are no plans to do so. The NHS Business Services Authority’s existing guidance states that midwives, doctors or health visitors can complete the maternity exemption certificate application for pregnant women as soon as pregnancy is confirmed.

Ovarian Cancer: Diagnosis

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a comparative assessment of the average time taken to diagnose ovarian cancer (a) in North Staffordshire and (b) nationally.

Helen Whately: There are no plans to make a specific assessment.

Health Services: Refugees

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has provided additional funding to local health partners to help support refugees staying in (a) accommodation and (b) bridging hotels provided by the Home Department.

Neil O'Brien: Additional funding is made available to local health partners to help support refugees under the UK Resettlement Scheme, the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy and arrivals under the Homes for Ukraine and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.

Health Services: Asylum

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help people staying in bridging hotels access (a) public, (b) physical and (c) mental health services.

Neil O'Brien: In 2021/22, £7 million was allocated to the National Health Service to support a healthcare offer for arrivals through Afghan resettlement schemes whilst in temporary bridging accommodation. This provided up to £600 per person for an enhanced health assessment and general practitioner (GP) registration. This should include an assessment of trauma and mental health needs and referral to local services as appropriate, with GP registration supporting mainstream access to local services. Discussions are underway between the Department, HM Treasury and NHS England regarding further funding for 2022/23.

GP Practice Lists

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of the patients per GP in each (a) primary care network and (b) Integrated Care System.

Neil O'Brien: Data on the number of patients per full time equivalent general practitioner in each Primary Care Network and integrated care board is available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/general-and-personal-medical-services/30-september-2022

General Practitioners: Greater Manchester

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding has been allocated to NHS Greater Manchester ICS to support with GP retention for 2022-23; and how much was spent for that purpose in 2021-22.

Neil O'Brien: NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care System’s (ICS) projected expenditure through NHS England’s national general practitioner (GP) retention scheme for 2022/23 is £221,000. In 2021/22, its spending was approximately £195,000.In addition, through the Greater Manchester Primary Care Workforce Programme, in 2021/22 the ICS invested £639,000 in GP workforce development programmes which supported recruitment and retention. Its projected investment in 2022/23 is approximately £644,000.

General Practitioners: Greater Manchester

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GPs who had been previously working in NHS Greater Manchester ICS area have left the profession in the last three years.

Neil O'Brien: This information is not collected in the format requested.

General Practitioners: Portsmouth South

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of GP appointments there have been in Portsmouth South constituency in (a) the last 12 months and (b) in 2013.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number and proportion of GP appointments that were conducted face-to-face in Portsmouth South constituency in (a) the last 12 months and (b) in 2013.

Neil O'Brien: This data is not collected in the format requested.

Palivizumab

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to direct the Joint Committee on Vaccination Immunisation to meet to discuss the recommendations of NHS England’s Palivizumab National Expert Group, in the context of an increase in RSV infections in the under-5 group; and if he will make a statement.

Neil O'Brien: Following a letter from clinicians, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) requested that the Palivizumab National Expert Group consider the eligibility of a sub-group of children with spinal muscular atrophy to receive a palivizumab vaccination. The Palivizumab National Expert Group has made its recommendations to the JCVI, which will be discussed in a forthcoming meeting.

Malnutrition: Portsmouth South

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of malnutrition in Portsmouth South constituency.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2022 to Question 77274 on Coronavirus: Vaccination, if he will make an assessment of the compatibility of the conditional marketing authorisation (CMA) for the Comirnaty vaccine with the requirement that such authorisations will expire after one year and are extendable upon evaluation for a further year; for what reason the post-authorisation conditions for the CMA for Comirnaty were removed from the Government’s website on 9 November 2022; and if he will make a statement.

Neil O'Brien: The post-authorisation conditions relating to any Conditional Marketing Authorisations (CMA) are only removed from the licence once these conditions have been met and a full Marketing Authorisation (MA) could then be considered. Where clinical studies are continuing, companies will update to the regulatory authorities through post-authorisation measures.As there are no further specific obligations, the status changed from CMA to MA for the following Comirnaty products on 9 November 2022:- Comirnaty 30 micrograms/dose Concentrate for Dispersion for Injection (PLGB 53632/0002);- Comirnaty 30 micrograms/dose Dispersion for Injection (PLGB 53632/0004); and- Comirnaty 10 micrograms/dose Concentrate for Dispersion for Injection (PLGB 53632/0006).

Health: Portsmouth South

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to help tackle health inequalities in Portsmouth South constituency.

Neil O'Brien: ‘Our plan for patients’, published on 22 September, sets out the immediate priorities to support individuals to live healthier lives, including improving access to health and care services in all areas and preventing ill-health. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities works with local system partners in Portsmouth to support programmes to reduce health inequalities, including providing evidence and intelligence.

Health Services: Power Failures

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to prepare the health system for potential power cuts in winter 2022-23.

Neil O'Brien: The Department is working with the health and social care sector to understand the impact of any disruption to energy on services and with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the likelihood of any outages. All National Health Service organisations are required to have business continuity plans in place for different scenarios, including loss of power. These plans seek to minimise any impact and continue the delivery of critical services to patients.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) control the numbers of covid-19 cases, (b) protect people vulnerable to covid-19, (c) support people shielding and (d) ensure that people of all incomes are able to access lateral flow tests in winter 2022.

Neil O'Brien: ‘COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19’, published in February, set out how COVID-19 will be managed in the same way as other respiratory viruses. The vaccination and booster programme and the availability of antiviral treatments has ensured a much lower risk of severe illness or hospitalisation. We have continued to provide free symptomatic testing to those at highest risk and symptomatic testing during periods of high prevalence. The shielding scheme ended in 2021 and our guidance advises those previously considered as clinically extremely vulnerable to manage their risk as appropriate. Free lateral flow device tests are provided to those at greatest risk of serious illness from COVID-19, while testing kits are also available from retailers.

Electronic Cigarettes: Secondary Education

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the levels of vape use in secondary schools.

Neil O'Brien: NHS Digital’s ‘Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People in England, 2021’ published in September 2022, shows that current regular and occasional use of e-cigarettes in 11 to 15 year olds is at 9%. The data is available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/smoking-drinking-and-drug-use-among-young-people-in-england/2021#summaryIt is illegal to sell a vaping product to anyone aged under 18 years old.

Healthy Start Scheme

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is he taking to ensure that all people eligible for healthy start payments receive them.

Neil O'Brien: The NHS Business Services Authority promotes the Healthy Start scheme through its digital channels and has created free tools for stakeholders.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of people who have been waiting longer than 52 weeks for NHS treatment in the last 12 months.

Will Quince: In September 2022, there were 401,000 people waiting over 52 weeks for non-urgent surgery.

Life Expectancy: Portsmouth South

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in the level of life expectancy in Portsmouth South constituency.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in the level of healthy life expectancy in Portsmouth South constituency.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government plans to take to increase access to PrEP for (a) heterosexuals, (b) women, (c) Black African and Black Caribbean communities and (d) transgender and non-binary people; and if he will make a statement.

Neil O'Brien: The HIV Action Plan sets out continued investment in pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) through the Public Health Grant and to develop a plan to improve the delivery of and access to PrEP in specific population groups. We are currently gathering evidence to understand why some population groups who would benefit from PrEP are under-represented and to identify potential barriers to access. This evidence will be considered by the PrEP Access and Equity Task and Finish Group.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on implementing the objective from the HIV Action Plan of delivering a national PrEP Action Plan.

Neil O'Brien: We are currently gathering evidence to understand why some population groups who would benefit from pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are under-represented and to identify potential barriers to access. This evidence will be considered by the PrEP Access and Equity Task and Finish Group and will inform the development of the PrEP plan.

Dental Services: North West

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons the NHS did not agree a contract with Smart Dental Care to provide NHS dental services in (a) Merseyside and (b) Cheshire.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the withdrawal of funding from Smart Dental Care on (a) the deployment of new dentists and (b) the provision of dentistry services in (i) Merseyside and (ii) Cheshire.

Neil O'Brien: We are unable to provide the information requested as it is commercially sensitive. NHS England regularly reviews the contracts held with providers and in circumstances where providers do not fulfil contractual obligations, it will take appropriate action to ensure value for money and that patients continue to receive treatment and care. Where a contract is terminated, NHS England ensures continued service provision.

Health: Energy

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of rising energy costs on people’s health.

Neil O'Brien: We are working across the Government and with external partners to identify those most vulnerable to the health impacts of the increased cost of living and the actions which can be taken to support them.

Carers

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment with local authorities of the potential barriers faced by carers in accessing the support to which they are entitled; and if he will take steps to help increase access to support for carers.

Helen Whately: Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to undertake an assessment for any unpaid carer who appears to have a need for support and to meet their eligible needs on request from the carer. The Health and Care Act 2022 includes provisions for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to assess the performance of local authorities’ delivery of adult social care duties. The CQC is working with local government, the care sector and those with care and support needs to develop a framework for these assessments, including consideration of local authorities’ responsibilities to carers.

Health Services: Greater Manchester

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department takes to monitor the performance of the provision of local retention initiatives in the NHS Greater Manchester ICS area.

Will Quince: NHS England retains oversight of local workforce plans and is updated on vacancy rates. However, recruitment and retention are undertaken at trust level. The NHS People Plan focuses on improving the retention of National Health Service staff by prioritising staff health and wellbeing. In 2022/23, £45 million has been allocated to support the continuation of 40 mental health hubs, the Professional Nurse Advocates programme and expanding the NHS Practitioner Health service.NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care System is currently developing a retention plan and is engaging with partners in the health and care system. It is also working with NHS England to consider current and future data collection to monitoring the impact and sustainability of local retention initiatives.

NHS: Recruitment

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increasing the NHS mileage rates on the recruitment of NHS workers who deliver at home care.

Will Quince: No specific assessment has been made. The mileage rate is reviewed every six months in line with fuel costs.

Tomography

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure a stable supply of contrast media agents used in medical imaging; and if he will make a statement.

Will Quince: While the Department is aware of supply issues affecting a number of contrast media agents, we expect this to be fully resolved by the end of 2022. We have regular discussions with the suppliers and continue to provide supply updates to the National Health Service.

NHS: Telephone Services

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance NHS England gives to health providers on telephoning patients on withheld numbers.

Will Quince: No specific guidance has been issued.

Department for Education

Educational Psychology: Training

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his answer of the 24 October to Written Question 63042, whether she plans to allocate new funding to train educational psychologists after 2022.

Claire Coutinho: I refer the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam to the answer given on 24 October 2022 to Question 63042.

Education: Mental Health

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of expanding mental health first aid training for staff in educational settings.

Claire Coutinho: The department does not hold data on the number of Mental Health First Aiders in educational settings. Schools and colleges are able to decide what training they offer to their staff based on the individual circumstances of the setting.The department ensures that education staff have access to a range of training to help them understand and respond to the mental health and wellbeing issues that pupils and students face. Anyone supporting children and young people can now access an online Psychological First Aid training course. The department’s recent £15 million wellbeing for education recovery and return programmes also provide free expert training, support, and resources for education staff to help promote and support the wellbeing and mental health of pupils and students and recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 14,000 state-funded schools and colleges in England were reported to benefit from the two programmes, delivered through local authorities.The department has also committed to offer all state schools and colleges in England a grant to train a senior mental health lead by 2025, enabling them to introduce effective whole school or college approaches to mental health and wellbeing. This is backed by £10 million in the 2022/23 financial year. Over 8,000 schools and colleges, including over half of state-funded secondary schools in England, have taken up the offer so far.Schools may also consider other professional development, including National Professional Qualifications (NPQs). The Leading Behaviour and Culture NPQ is for teachers who have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading behaviour and pupil wellbeing in their school. Fully funded scholarships to undertake NPQs are now available for all state-funded schools, as well as state-funded 16-to-19 organisations.The department provides a list of further mental health support and resources to promote and support mental health and wellbeing. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mental-health-and-wellbeing-support-in-schools-and-colleges. Further resources and support are accessible at: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2021/09/03/mental-health-resources-for-children-parents-carers-and-school-staff/.

Schools: Finance

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that schools are able to (a) carry out repairs, (b) heat their buildings and (c) provide after-school activities during the cost of living crisis.

Nick Gibb: The Department provides annual condition funding to schools and those responsible for school buildings to improve and maintain the school estate. The Department has committed over £13 billion since 2015, including £1.8 billion this financial year.The Department also publishes several resources to support schools and their responsible bodies to effectively manage their estates and meet their legal duties. This includes good estate management for schools, in addition to guidance on specific issues such as managing asbestos, reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete and cladding.Schools are being supported with their energy bills through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which will run until at least 31 March 2023. This will protect schools from high energy costs and give them greater certainty over their budgets over the winter months. The details of the scheme can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/energy-bill-relief-scheme-help-for-businesses-and-other-non-domestic-customers. Schools are also being supported by cash increases to the core schools budget, including a £4 billion increase this financial year.Schools are best placed to understand and meet the needs of their pupils and have flexibility to decide what range of extra-curricular activities to offer. Both Pupil Premium and Recovery Premium can be used to fund enrichment activities. In March 2022, the Department updated its guidance to make this clear to schools.The Department also supports a range of specific initiatives to expand access to high quality, extra-curricular activities, including the Holiday Activities and Food Programme and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The Department is developing guidance to support schools to navigate the resources available to develop their extracurricular activities.

Department for Education: Electronic Messaging

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has shared, sent or received information relating to her Ministerial duties using a personal (a) device, (b) email address, and (c) mobile phone number.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to new Ministers on the use of (a) a personal device, (b) a personal email address and (c) a personal mobile phone number for public business.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his Department's policy is on (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants using (i) SMS, (ii) WhatsApp, (iii) Signal and (iv) other messaging platforms for (A) sending information and (B) holding discussions relating to departmental business.

Nick Gibb: There is a place for the use of a variety of digital channels in fast moving modern environments. Ministers will have informal conversations from time to time, in person or remotely, and relevant content from such discussions is passed back to officials. They will also use a variety of digital communications channels for personal, political and Parliamentary matters.The Cabinet Office has published guidance to Departments on the use of private email that covers how information is held for the purposes of access to information, and how formal decisions are recorded for the official record. This guidance is being updated to reflect changes in technology and ways of working, and will be published by the Cabinet Office in due course.Ministers receive support and expert advice to help them meet their obligations in the most appropriate and secure fashion. That includes regular security briefings for Ministers, and advice on protecting their personal data and mitigating cyber threats.The Department has clear policies for the Acceptable Use of IT, Use of Mobile Phones, Data Handling, and Record Management. Only approved and assured systems shall be used for official Departmental data.

Schools: Finance

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial support the Government is providing to schools to help address the cost of living crisis.

Nick Gibb: Overall, core schools funding, including funding for both mainstream schools and high needs, increased by £4 billion in the 2022/23 financial year compared to the previous financial year, which equates to a 7% cash increase in funding per pupil.Schools will also benefit from the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. This will reduce how much schools need to spend on their energy, and give schools greater certainty over their budgets over the winter months. The details of the scheme can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/energy-bill-relief-scheme-help-for-businesses-and-other-non-domestic-customers.The Department is also supporting schools with the school resource management (SRM) advice, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/schools-financial-health-and-efficiency. This includes a free range of practical tools and information to help all schools unlock efficiencies, which they can then reinvest based on their own priorities.The SRM advice includes recommended deals for energy costs and ancillary services. The Department is also updating and strengthening guidance on a regular basis to inform schools of the market and commercial position, with practical advice on new and exiting existing contracts. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-help-buying-for-schools.The Department knows that every school’s circumstances are different, and where schools are in serious financial difficulty, they should contact their Local Authority or the Education and Skills Funding Agency, who can provide advice and, in exceptional circumstances, financial support.

Holiday Activities and Food Programme

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of meals provided as part of the Holiday activities and food programme; and whether she is taking steps to improve those meals.

Claire Coutinho: The department is investing over £200 million a year in the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme. This programme provides healthy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places to children from low-income families, benefiting their heath, wellbeing and learning through the provision of healthy free meals, nutritional education, and physical activities on a daily basis.Guidance to local authorities is clear:All HAF clubs must provide children with at least one meal a day and that all food provided, including snacks, must meet school food standards.Food served must also comply with regulations on food preparation, take into account allergies and dietary requirements and take into account any religious or cultural requirements for food. The department’s external evaluation of the 2021 HAF summer programme found that children attending HAF were significantly more likely to feel that they ate healthy foods over the summer.Along with Childcare Works, our HAF programme support contractor, the department continues to work with local authorities to further improve the HAF programme, including the nutritional value and the variety of the food they offer.

Schools: Transport

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were eligible for help with the cost of home to school transport in each local authority in each year since 2017.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children qualified for help with the cost of home to school transport in each local authority in each year since 2017.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have received help with the cost of home to school transport in each local authority since 2017.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not collect the information requested. The legal responsibility for providing free home to school transport sits with Local Authorities. Local Authorities will hold any data on the number of children receiving support in their areas.In terms of eligibility criteria, Local Authorities must provide free home to school transport for children of compulsory school age who attend their nearest school and cannot walk there due to distance, route safety, or because of special educational needs, disability, or mobility problems. There are additional rights to free transport for low-income families aimed at helping them exercise school choice, known as ‘extended rights’. Local Authorities also have a discretionary power to provide free or subsidised home to school transport for other children.

Schools: Speech and Language Therapy

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 September 2022 to Question 51450 on Speech and Language Therapy: Recruitment, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure adequate support for language and speech therapists in schools.

Claire Coutinho: The government is committed to ensuring that children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with speech and language needs, receive the support they need to achieve at school.The department knows that children and young people with SEND frequently require access to additional support from a broad specialist workforce across education, and health and care, including speech and language therapists. As set out in the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper, we are taking steps to increase the capacity of the specialist workforce.The consultation closed on 22 July. The department is currently using this feedback, along with continued engagement with the system, to inform the next stage of delivering improvements for children, young people and their families. We will also continue to support the system in the immediate term to deliver change and improve the experience and outcomes for children and young people with SEND, and those who need AP.

Children in Care: Missing Persons

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to reduce the number of children who go missing from care homes.

Claire Coutinho: The government takes the matter of any child going missing very seriously. Statutory guidance is in place on the responsibilities of local authorities working with partners, to prevent children going missing, and to gather and share information and intelligence to reduce this risk. The guidance applies to all children going missing, whether this is from the family home or from care.The guidance requires that every children's home has clear procedures to prevent children from going missing. The guidance also ensures there are detailed interviews when a child has returned from being missing.The government is firmly committed to ensuring that when care is the best choice for a child, the care system provides stable, loving homes close to children’s communities. The government is investing £259 million in capital funding to provide high quality homes for some of our most vulnerable young people to ensure that they can be closer to families, schools, and health services.

Children in Care: Travellers

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Gypsy, (b) Roma and (c) Traveller children are under the care of local authorities.

Claire Coutinho: There were 550 Gypsy and Roma children, and 160 Traveller of Irish Heritage children looked after by local authorities in England on 31 March 2021. The figures on the ethnic origin of looked-after children are available in the statistical release Children Looked After in England (including Adoption) year ending 31 March 2021. This information can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2020-to-2021.The department does not collect information separately for Roma children looked after by local authorities in England.

Carers' Benefits

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2022 to Question 30078 on Carers’ Benefits, what progress her Department has made in considering the recommendations on kinship carers set out in the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care.

Claire Coutinho: The department recognises the invaluable and important role that kinship carers play in their kin children’s lives. The recently published Independent Review of Children’s Social Care set out recommendations on how the government can better support kinship families.The department is now considering how to take these recommendations forward, including the recommendations to create a financial allowance and a new paid parental leave entitlement for kinship carers.The department is working on an ambitious and comprehensive response to the recommendations in the review.

Holiday Activities and Food Programme

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Holiday activities and food programme on children's diets.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the proportion of children accessing the Holiday activities and food programme who come from the most deprived areas.

Claire Coutinho: The department is investing over £200 million a year in the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme, providing healthy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places to children from low-income families, benefiting their heath, wellbeing and learning through the provision of healthy free meals, nutritional education, and physical activities on a daily basis.Good nutrition is essential to children’s health, development and their ability to fulfil their potential in life. The department’s HAF clubs ensure that children have access to healthy food and enriching activities throughout the school holidays.The department’s external evaluation of the 2021 HAF summer programme found that children attending HAF reported significantly higher levels of participation in both outdoor and indoor sports and games than their non-HAF peers during a normal week. Children attending HAF were also significantly more likely to feel that they ate healthy foods over the summer. Evidence suggests HAF helped children feel more socially connected, taught them new things, and that they felt safe and enjoyed their HAF experience.The evaluation also found that HAF local authority coordinators reported almost three-quarters of a million (730,000) children attended a HAF summer holiday club in person, of which 616,000 children’s places were directly funded by HAF and 498,000 were eligible for benefits-related FSM. The evaluation also indicated that two-thirds of HAF attendees lived in one of the 30% most deprived areas across the country.

Department of Education: Redundancy Pay

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to the public purse was of Ministerial severance pay in his Department between 1 January 2016 to 8 November 2022.

Nick Gibb: The provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation.Details of the severance payments made to Ministers when leaving office are published in departments’ annual reports and accounts.

Secondary Education: Barnsley East

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding secondary schools in Barnsley East constituency have received each academic year since 2010.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding primary schools in Barnsley East constituency have received each academic year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: Allocations are calculated by Local Authority area, not by constituency. Maintained school allocations are calculated for a financial year that runs from April to March, while academies are funded on a financial year that matches the academic year. The figures provided show the total for the financial year across primary and secondary schools.The revenue funding figures shown below are for 2013 to 2022. Before 2013/14, funding allocated by the Department through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) was allocated to Local Authorities as a single amount that was intended to fund school budget shares (including academies), local authority central services for schools, additional support for high needs pupils, and provision for early years education.In 2013/14 the DSG was divided into funding blocks for a schools block, central services schools block, high needs block and early years block. The schools block is allocated based on the number of pupils in schools within each Local Authority. The amounts allocated by Barnsley Metropolitan Council from their schools block to primary and secondary schools and academies for each year since 2013/14 to 2021/22 are shown in the following table: Financial yearSchools classed as primary schools (£)Schools classed as secondary schools (£) Total (£) 2013/1427,852,00023,767,00051,619,0002014/1529,310,00022,598,00051,908,0002015/1630,049,00021,617,00051,666,0002016/1730,582,00021,092,00051,674,0002017/1831,268,00021,256,00052,524,0002018/1931,979,00021,783,00053,762,0002019/2037,875,00025,593,00063,468,0002020/2140,933,00029,271,00070,204,0002021/2241,989,00031,237,00073,226,000*From 2019/20 onwards Pupil Premium, PE/Sport, and Universal Infant School Meals Grants are included*Information for 2022/23 is due for publication at the end of January 2023.This funding is allocated using the Local Authority’s own formulae based upon nationally agreed factors and the attached table shows the allocations for each school, rounded to the nearest £1,000.Figures showing funding for each school in the Barnsley Metropolitan Council and relevant links to where these figures are published are provided in the attached table.  83711_83712_table (xlsx, 52.0KB)

Schools: Finance

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much the average funding per pupil in mainstream schools was in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency, (b) the London Borough of Bexley, (c) Greater London and (d) England in each of the last three years.

Nick Gibb: The schools National Funding Formula (NFF) calculates an allocation for every school, based on their individual pupil and school characteristics. Schools’ allocations under the NFF for the 2022/23 financial year can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs-2022-to-2023. Schools’ allocations under the NFF for the 2021/22 financial year can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs-2021-to-2022. Schools’ allocations under the NFF for the 2020/21 financial year can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs-2020-to-2021.The below table shows the average funding per pupil allocated through the NFF for Bexleyheath and Crayford, Bexley, London and England over the past three years. Per pupil funding excludes growth funding and individual schools’ actual allocations are based on local authorities’ local funding formulae. Average per pupil funding through the Schools NFFFinancial yearBexleyheath and Crayford (Constituency)Bexley (Local Authority)London (Region)England2022/23£5,435£5,543£6,240£5,3582021/22£5,285£5,211£5,914£5,2122020/21£4,889£4,825£5,529£4,828

Free School Meals: Bexleyheath and Crayford

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency have received free school meals in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The Department publishes annual figures on the number of pupils who are eligible for free school meals, based on school census data.The most recently published figures are for January 2022. The full collection of publications can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers. The attached table provides information for Bexleyheath and Crayford from the 2017/18 to 2021/22 academic years.82197_table (pdf, 97.4KB)

Children: Communication Skills

Andy Carter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Bumper £24 million to boost children’s literacy, published on 9 October 2022, whether that funding will be used to support children's speech and language skills.

Nick Gibb: The Government has committed £24 million to boost literacy in schools in the 2022/23 academic year. The majority of this funding will be distributed via the English Hubs programme.The focus in the first two years of the programme has been on phonics teaching, with early language and reading for pleasure as secondary aims. In the third and fourth delivery year, English Hubs continue to focus on systematic synthetic phonics. A number of English Hubs have already started to deliver support in all three priority areas, including early language. In January 2023, the Hubs will begin delivering new early language training to schools, which has been designed by Hubs and external experts.

Ministry of Justice

Restraining Orders

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many restraining orders were (a) issued and (b) breached (i) once, (ii) twice, (iii) three times and (iv) on four or more occasions in each of the last three years; how many custodial sentences were given in each category of breach; and what was the average length of sentence issued.

Edward Argar: Please find attached a table detailing the number of restraining orders issued in each of the last 3 years in criminal courts.The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of defendants prosecuted, convicted and sentenced for breaching a restraining order in criminal courts, for the years 2017-2021, in the Outcomes by Offence data tool 2021.The number of defendants prosecuted for the offence in question can be found using the ‘Prosecutions and Convictions’ tab. The number of defendants sentenced for the offence in question, along with sentencing outcomes (e.g., immediate custody) can be found using the ‘Sentence Outcomes’ tab. The average custodial sentence length for this offence can be found using the ‘Average Amounts’ tab.Use the HO offence code filter to select the applicable offences:00831 - Breach of Restraining Order (Protection from Harassment Act 1997)00839 - Breach of Restraining Order (Sex Offenders Act 1997)06638 - Breach of a Restraining Order issued on acquittalThe Ministry of Justice’s court proceedings database records each instance in which a breach offence enters the court system. It is not possible to identify a specific restraining order against which a breach offence has been committed. It is therefore not possible to identify the number of times an individual may have breached the same restraining order, as it may be entered into the system under one or multiple breach offences. This information may be available by accessing court records, however, the costs of making such a search would be disproportionate.Table (xlsx, 17.9KB)

Probation Service: Risk Assessment

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the quality of risk assessments made by the Probation Service.

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve the quality of risk assessments made by the Probation Service.

Damian Hinds: The quality of risk assessments is centrally assured by His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) to drive further improvement in this key area of public protection.HMPPS’ independent internal assurance process provides annual checks of the quality of sentence management practice, including risk assessments checks. The last full audit, done in late 2021, showed that improvements were required in the quality of risk assessments . The 2022 audit is underway, the results of which will be known and fully considered in February 2023.Probation regions also complete their own assurance of the quality of practice, including risk assessments, using a specialised audit tool. The HMPPS assurance team will, from 2023, validate regional audits to ensure consistency and quality of practice. In addition, all High and Very High Risk of Serious Harm assessments are countersigned by Senior Probation Officers to ensure they are sufficiently robust to protect the public.

Prison and Probation Service: Vetting

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of delays in vetting new recruits on the (a) prison service and (b) probation service.

Damian Hinds: There is no current impact to HMPPS as a result of any vetting delays.

Treasury

Tax Avoidance: Bankruptcy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people who will become bankrupt as a result of loan charge payments.

Victoria Atkins: I refer the Honourable Member to the replies given to the Honourable Member for Hemsworth on 9 December 2021, UINs 87576 and 87577, to the Honourable Member for Ealing Central and Acton on 11th January, UIN 93833 and to the Honourable Member for Plaid Cymru on 27th April, UIN 08923.

British Nationals Abroad: Bank Services

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has taken recent steps to help ensure that UK citizens living abroad have access to UK bank accounts.

Andrew Griffith: The provision of banking services is a commercial decision for firms based on a variety of factors, including the local law, regulation of individual countries, an assessment of profitability, or other commercial drivers. The Government does not intervene in these commercial decisions.

Overseas Companies: Bank Services

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises with headquarters in other countries are able to access UK bank accounts.

Andrew Griffith: The provision of banking services is a commercial decision for firms based on a variety of factors, including the local law, regulation of individual countries, an assessment of profitability, or other commercial drivers. Therefore, while the Government recognises and values the important role of SMEs, I hope you can appreciate that it would be inappropriate for the Government to intervene in these decisions I would encourage SMEs to explore the Business Current Account (BCA) finder tool developed by UK Finance, designed to help businesses compare the full range of bank accounts available and find products that best suit their needs.

Audiobooks: VAT

Steve McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to introduce a zero rating of VAT for audiobooks.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made a recent assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of audiobooks on increasing engagement with reading for people with disabilities and other underrepresented readers; and whether he plans to introduce a zero rating of VAT for audiobooks.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits for equality for people who are visually impaired of removing of VAT on audiobooks.

Victoria Atkins: An extension of the zero rate of VAT was introduced in May 2020 to provide consistency in approach between certain physical and digital publications. Audiobooks are already taxed consistently at the standard rate in both physical and digital format.Providing VAT relief for audiobooks would have a fiscal cost and should be viewed in the context of over £50 billion of other requests for relief from VAT that the Government has received since the EU referendum.Although the Government keeps all taxes under review, there are no plans to change the rate of VAT on audiobooks.

Exports: VAT

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department made of the annual cost of extending the VAT Retail Export Scheme to EU visitors in September 2020.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how his Department estimated the annual cost of extending the VAT Retail Export Scheme to EU visitors in September 2020.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department made of the additional (a) direct and (b) indirect tax revenues that would have been generated by extending the VAT Retail Export Scheme to EU visitors in September 2020.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department made of the annual cost of retaining the VAT Retail Export Scheme and extending it to EU visitors in September 2020.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department made of the annual cost of extending airside tax-free shopping to EU visitors in 2020.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how his Department estimated the annual cost of extending airside tax-free shopping to EU visitors in 2020.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department made of the additional (a) direct and (b) indirect tax revenues that would have been generated by extending airside tax-free shopping to EU visitors in 2020.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department made of the total cost of retaining airside tax-free shopping and extending it to EU visitors in 2020.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department made of the total cost of extending both the VAT Retail Export Scheme and airside tax-free shopping to EU visitors in September 2020.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department made in the Growth Plan 2022 of what the total cost would be of restoring both the VAT Retail Export Scheme and airside tax-free shopping to all international visitors in the 2025-26 financial year.

Victoria Atkins: The Chancellor announced on 17 October 2022 that the Government will not be proceeding with plans to introduce a new VAT-free shopping scheme. This decision was included as part of the reversal of almost all of the tax measures set out in the Growth Plan on 23 September which have not been legislated for in Parliament. The Chancellor has taken these decisions to ensure the UK’s economic stability and to provide confidence in the Government’s commitment to fiscal discipline. The Chancellor made clear in his statement that the UK’s public finances must be on a sustainable path into the medium term. Introducing VAT-free shopping would come at a significant fiscal cost as it would subsidise a large amount of tourist spending which already occurs without a tax relief in place. The independent Office of Budget Responsibility published their assessment of the withdrawal of the previous VAT-free shopping schemes in November 2020. This showed that the withdrawal of VAT-free shopping would raise a significant amount of revenue and have a limited behavioural effect on decisions to visit, or spend, in the UK.

Mortgages: Defaulters

Paula Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of rising interest rates on the number of mortgage defaults across England.

Andrew Griffith: The Government remains watchful for any emerging trends in light of rising interest rates; however, these will be based on arrears levels that are at historic lows: out of a total of 8.4 million residential mortgages, according to the latest UK Finance data, 74,560 were in arrears at the end of June, 10% fewer than in the same period in the previous year. Interest rates are rising across the world as countries manage rising prices largely driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. As everyone’s financial situation is unique, the impact of these rate rises on individual households will vary. It is worth noting, however, that around 75% of residential mortgages are on a fixed rate and are therefore shielded from rate rises in the short term. Nevertheless, the Government understands that people across the UK are worried about the cost of living, and are seeing their disposable incomes decrease as they spend more on the essentials. That is why we have announced £37 billion of support for the cost of living this financial year. In addition to the Energy Price Guarantee, millions of the most vulnerable households will receive £1,200 of support this year, with additional support for pensioners and those claiming disability benefits. If mortgage borrowers do fall into financial difficulty, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) guidance requires firms to provide support through tailored forbearance options. The Government has also taken a number of measures aimed at helping people to avoid repossession, including Support for Mortgage Interest loans for those in receipt of an income-related benefit, and protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol, which makes it clear that repossession must always be the last resort for lenders.

UK Infrastructure Bank: Small Businesses

Bob Seely: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that funding provided by the UK Infrastructure Bank is targeted to small and medium-sized enterprises in (a) rural, (b) isolated and (c) deprived communities.

Andrew Griffith: The UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) was launched in June 2021 and is a government-owned lending institution headquartered in Leeds. UKIB has a mandate to tackle climate change and support regional and local economic growth across the UK by investing in economic infrastructure including clean energy, transport, digital, water and waste. As of 10th November, the UKIB has announced 10 deals worth over £1 billion covering all areas of the UK. Within its remit, UKIB is able to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) indirectly through its financing of infrastructure projects. Over the past two years, the Government has taken unprecedented action to protect millions of SMEs, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Government-guaranteed loans. This year we are extending the Recovery Loan Scheme until June 2024.

Energy: Taxation

Richard Burgon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Government's Observations made on 7 November 2022 on petition P002765 on the Energy Profits Levy, presented by the hon. Member for Leeds East on 7 September 2022, (a) if he will publish a breakdown of the £28 billion that the Government estimates will be raised by that levy over the period 2025-26 and (b) how much in total does he expect to be raised in Financial Year 2022-23 from taxes on North Sea oil and gas companies including both normal taxes and the Energy Profits Levy.

James Cartlidge: A breakdown of revenues expected from the Energy Profits Levy (EPL) for the period 2022-23 to 2026-27 is published in the 23 September Growth Plan, Table 4.2. Estimates for the other North Sea taxes (ring-fence Corporation Tax and Petroleum Revenue Tax) are published in Table 3.4 of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook (March 2022).Updated estimates for all of these taxes will be published at the Autumn Statement on 17 November.

Energy: Prices

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when does his Department will conclude its review into energy bills support; and whether third parties and agencies will be consulted as a part of that review.

James Cartlidge: The Energy Price Guarantee is a scheme that caps the unit price households pay for electricity and gas. This means that a typical household in Great Britain pays an average £2500 a year on their energy bill over this winter. This is expected to save consumers who use both gas and electricity around £700 this winter. Through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS), the government will provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic consumers (including UK businesses, the voluntary and public sectors). The Chancellor has announced a Treasury-led review of energy support to take effect from April 2023. The objective of the review, which is not a formal Government consultation, is to design a new approach that will cost the taxpayer significantly less whilst ensuring enough support for those in need. The Chancellor will announce the support which will be in effect from April 2023 in due course.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Iran: Diplomatic Relations

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of downgrading the UK's diplomatic relations with Iran.

David Rutley: The UK-Iran bilateral relationship is an important part of our policy and a key enabling tool in achieving our wider goals. Maintaining diplomatic ties allows the UK to address important issues of human rights, UK security, our consular cases and Iran's role in the region. We do not agree on everything, but it is right that Britain and Iran should maintain dialogue. The Foreign Secretary summoned the Iranian Chargé d'affaires on 3 October and on 11 November, to make our dissatisfaction with Iran's actions clear. We also reiterated to the Chargé on 26 October the need for Iran to adhere to internationally recognised human rights. The UK also engages the Iranian authorities on a full range of issues through His Majesty's Ambassador and the British Embassy in Tehran.

Afghanistan: Humanitarian Aid

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

Leo Docherty: Afghanistan continues to face a serious and worsening humanitarian crisis, affecting more than half of the population. Over 28 million people are expected to be in humanitarian need in 2023, including an estimated 19.9 million people who lack access to sufficient food with 92% of households struggling to meet daily food needs. Some 4.7 million children and women are currently at risk of acute malnutrition. On 11 January 2022, the UN launched an appeal for $4.4 billion for 2022, the largest humanitarian appeal on record, reflecting the magnitude of the humanitarian challenge ahead. The UK has played a leading role in responding. On 31 March 2022, the UK co-hosted a donor conference with the UN, Qatar and Germany at which the UK committed £286 million for this financial year. The conference raised over $2.4 billion for the UN's humanitarian appeal.

Iran: Demonstrations

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to seek an UN investigation into the killing of protesters in Iran following the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran's public call to member states to increase international efforts to end impunity in Iran.

David Rutley: The UK is committed to working with international partners to hold Iran to account for its persistent violations of human rights and violent repression of legitimate protests. This includes through the full range of multilateral fora, including the UN Human Rights Council, UN Security Council, G7 and the UN General Assembly Third Committee. We continue to support the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran Human Rights and have co-sponsored his mandate each year.We support the call for a Special Session of the Human Rights Council. The UK will respond to human rights violations taking place in Iran, and work to defend the rights of women, girls and all people of Iran. We support a strong UN mandate to help achieve that.

Nicaragua: Elections

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his Department’s policies of the low voter turnout in local elections in Nicaragua.

David Rutley: Nicaraguan municipal elections held on 6 November were neither free nor fair. On 8 November, I issued a statement highlighting the "deepening authoritarianism and lack of political freedom" in Nicaragua. Free and fair elections which include a credible opposition are the foundations of a stable democracy. We regularly raise the deteriorating political and human rights situation with Nicaraguan government representatives in London, in Managua, at multilateral fora and publicly through a series of statements. The UK will continue to work closely with our partners to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Nicaragua.

Haiti: Ports

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in Haiti on the operation of the Varreux port terminal.

David Rutley: Counterparts from the Haitian Government have not requested bilateral discussions on the operation of the privately operated Varreux port terminal. We are monitoring events in Haiti closely and are relieved by news that the fuel terminal has reopened. It is imperative that fuel is made available to medical services so that they can reach those in need. Through the UK's platform in country and at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), we are supporting the path towards a coordinated and coherent Haitian-led solution to address the country's multifaceted challenges.

Members: Correspondence

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to respond to letters from the Hon member for Dunfermline and West Fife related to a constituent held in jail in Iraq.

David Rutley: The letter of 14 October was transferred from the Prime Minister's Office on 20 October. A response was issued on 14 November. A response will be issued to the correspondence of 7 November within 20 working days as per the Cabinet Office guidelines. Officials have been in touch with Mr Chapman and his office.

Israel: Palestinians

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2022 to Question 70949 on Israel: Palestinians, what response his Department has received to its representations on Palestinians killed and injured by Israeli Defence Forces in the West Bank and Gaza and the need for investigations.

David Rutley: We regularly raise the issue of the high numbers of Palestinians killed and injured by Israeli Defence Forces in the West Bank and Gaza with the Israeli authorities. We encourage them to carry out swift, transparent and thorough investigations and, if wrongdoing is found, that those responsible be held to account. We will continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire.

Palestinians: Health Services

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the Israeli government’s handling of applications for permits for (a) patients, (b) companions and (c) health workers travelling in and out of the Palestinian Occupied Territories for medical treatment.

David Rutley: We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to end the restrictions on movement and access of essential healthcare workers, and Palestinians seeking medical services. The British Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of regularised access to healthcare with the Israeli authorities. The wounded and ill in Gaza and the West Bank should be able to access the urgent medical care they need.

Climate Change: Finance

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to triple adaptation finance by 2025.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK has a strong track record of supporting adaptation and resilience programmes in developing countries; since 2011 our International Climate Finance has supported over 95 million people to cope with the effects of climate change. We will build on our successful portfolio of programmes and partnerships to meet the target of tripling adaptation finance to £1.5 billion in 2025.

Oil: Prices

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with OPEC on reducing the price of oil.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We engage regularly with international partners, including non-Russian OPEC+ countries, on the importance of maintaining stability in global energy markets. We encourage others, where they can, to backfill Russian production in the short-term, and to scale up investment and international co-operation in clean energy to reduce longer-term dependence. It is vital that we combat high energy prices and inflation.

Israel: Palestinians

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2022 to Question 69579 on Israel: Palestinians, what response he received from his Israeli counterpart to his objections to reports of ill-treatment of Palestinian minors in Israeli military detention.

David Rutley: We remain committed to working with Israel to secure improvements to the practices surrounding children in detention in Israel. We have made clear our objections about the continued reports of ill-treatment of Palestinian minors in Israeli military detention and continue to call on the Israeli authorities to respect their obligations under international law.

Palestinians: Health Services

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on access for Palestinians to (a) cancer and (b) other medical treatment outside of the Palestinian Occupied Territories.

David Rutley: The British Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of regularised access to healthcare with the Israeli authorities. We recognise that under International Humanitarian Law, Israel, as the occupying power, has a duty of ensuring and maintaining public health to the fullest extent of the means available to it. The wounded and ill in Gaza and the West Bank should be able to access the urgent medical care they need.

Iran: Demonstrations

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Iranian counterpart on reports of indiscriminate violence by Iranian security forces against protesters in Sanandaj.

David Rutley: The Iranian regime's violent repression of the Iranian people, including in Sanandaj and the Kurdistan Province, is a stark reminder of the deplorable status of human rights in Iran. The Foreign Secretary summoned Iran's most senior diplomat in the UK on 3 October, we then reiterated with him on 26 October, our absolute condemnation of Iran's nationwide crackdown on peaceful protestors. The UK raises human rights at all appropriate opportunities, in London and via His Majesty's Ambassador in Tehran. The UK maintains close to 300 sanctions designations against Iran, in relation to nuclear proliferation, terrorism and including 87 human rights designations. We work with international partners to hold Iran to account, through the UN Human Rights Council, Security Council, G7 and the UN General Assembly Third Committee.

USA: Travel Restrictions

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has held discussions with his counterpart in the United States on the duration of their travel restrictions based on vaccine status.

David Rutley: I have not raised the issue of travel restrictions based on vaccine status with my counterpart, the US Secretary of State. On 10 June 2021, in the UK - US joint statement signed by the then Prime Minister, the Rt Hon. Boris Johnson MP and President Biden, the UK and US announced the creation of an Experts Working Group on Travel. This group shared expertise and provided recommendations to leaders on the return of safe international travel. This group has discussed travel restrictions based on vaccine status.

Brazil: Elections

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of reports that federal police (PF) and federal highway police (PRF) blocked roads and conducting unwarranted vehicle searches in Brazil on the day of that country's presidential election.

David Rutley: The UK has consistently made clear its firm hope that the entire country of Brazil will respect core democratic principles, electoral processes and the election result. We continue to monitor reports of protests in Brazil following the recent election and to update Travel Advice as necessary. The Prime Minister and I publicly congratulated President-elect Luis Inácio Lula da Silva following his election victory. We look forward to the UK and Brazil working together as we continue to strengthen our historic partnership.

Venezuela: Climate Change Convention

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Venezuelan counterpart on Nicolás Maduro's involvement at the COP27 Summit.

David Rutley: Involvement in the COP27 summit is a matter for the UN. I have had no discussions on this topic with my Venezuelan counterpart.

China: Embassies

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has considered further action against relevant Chinese officials in the UK following the incident at the Chinese consulate in Manchester.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The behaviour of Consulate-General officials during the incident in Manchester on 16 October, as it appears from the footage, was completely unacceptable. We await details of the police investigation. In the meantime HMG has delivered clear messages to the Chinese Embassy in London and to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing about the depth of our concern. If the police determine there are grounds to charge any officials, we would expect China to waive immunity for those officials.

Ministry of Defence

Interpreters: Afghanistan

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Afghan interpreters resettled to the UK under the Ex-Gratia Scheme (EGS) are also eligible for the support measures offered to Afghan interpreters resettled through the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy scheme including the provisions under (a) Op NEWHOPE and (b) Operation Warm Welcome Full Degree scholarships.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Ex-Gratia Scheme (EGS) Afghan Nationals are not eligible for Op WARM WELCOME. There are ongoing discussions within Defence about extending Op NEWHOPE to EGS Afghan Nationals.While compiling the answer to this question, it was noticed that an error was made in the written answer to your question 16958, answered on 16 June 2022. Please consider this reply as a correction to the record.The Operation Warm Welcome full degree scholarships and OP NEWHOPE provisions are both provided under Operation Warm Welcome. Within Operation Warm Welcome, the categories of people eligible for the Warm Welcome Scholarship are:Afghanistan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) resettlement routeAfghanistan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) resettlement routeThose with links to Afghanistan who are already registered at a UK university and are experiencing financial hardship due to the situation in AfghanistanAfghan British Nationals (ABNs), described for these purposes as those that were evacuated during Operation Pitting and who entered bridging accommodation or who presented as homeless to a council, but hold British citizenship or some other status that permits them to remain and reside in the UK without the need to be granted leave to remain.Afghan individuals who are eligible for Op WARM WELCOME, who have a Defence connection and want to maintain their connection to the Armed Forces, are eligible for Op NEWHOPE support. Those who are eligible for Op NEWHOPE support are able to continue to receive wider HMG support, which includes Warm Welcome scholarships.

Army Foundation College: Pupil Exclusions

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of recruits at the Army Foundation College have previously been excluded from school.

Dr Andrew Murrison: There is no requirement for recruits to declare whether they have previously been excluded from school and as such this information is not recorded by the Army.

Suez: General Service Medal

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will revise the eligibility criteria for the General Service Medal (1918 GSM) with Canal Zone Clasp in order to allow service personnel who served in the Canal Zone at other times besides those specified in the present criteria to receive that medal in recognition of their service.

Dr Andrew Murrison: There are no plans to extend the award of the General Service Medal with Canal Zone clasp. The Canal Zone clasp was introduced in 2003 and was awarded retrospectively for 30 days’ service between 16 October 1951 and 19 October 1954. A challenge to the eligibility criteria was the subject of an independent review in 2013. That review recommended that there were insufficient grounds to extend the criteria, and this decision was endorsed by the Advisory Military Sub Committee.

Veterans: Identity Cards

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer on 31 October 2022 to Question 68602, on Veterans: Identity Cards, if he will provide a breakdown of the number of HM Armed Forces Veterans' Recognition Cards distributed by local authority.

Dr Andrew Murrison: It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the right hon. Members Question. I will write to him when the information is available, and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of The House.

Members: Correspondence

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2022 to Question 63116 on Armed Forces Compensation Scheme: Standards, when he plans to write to the rt hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne on claims made to the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 10 November 2022 and placed a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

Cyprus: Military Bases

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what protocol his Department has in place for handling requests from the US to use the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia for military operations; and on how many occasions in 2021 those bases were used for US Air Force bombing missions.

James Heappey: UK authorisation would be required for any operations involving the use of the Sovereign Base Areas. For security reasons we would not comment in any further detail on operations of this nature.

Cyprus: Military Bases

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any US military equipment is located on the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

James Heappey: The USAF U2 aircraft has been permanently stationed at RAF Akrotiri since 1974 in support of middle east peacekeeping arrangements. It operates with the knowledge of all Governments directly involved.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking (a) to facilitate timely decision-making on outstanding applications for relocation to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (b) to provide regular updates to individuals with applications outstanding.

James Heappey: We continue to receive a high number of applications, however, the majority of these are duplicates or are ineligible under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme.Considerable amounts of time, resources and personnel have been, and continue to be, deployed to ensure that applications are considered as quickly efficiently, accurately and fairly as possible. We are now actively processing and issuing decisions on more applications per month than we are receiving and have improved communications with applicants.The regularity of application updates is specific to each case and is dependent on a number of factors, such as the amount of evidence received on an initial application, the level of complexity of the case, the need to conduct checks with other government departments, or the length of time it takes an applicant to respond to follow-up queries.

China: Armed Forces

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2022 to Question 74518 on China: Armed Forces, on what date he was first made aware of cases of former UK armed forces personnel being recruited to train the Chinese armed forces.

James Heappey: The Secretary of State for Defence was informed by officials on 16 November 2021. He subsequently directed the Chief of Defence Staff to write to the three respective Service Chiefs to direct them in turn to remind all Service personnel of their ongoing obligations under the Official Secrets Act after they have left the Armed Forces. Concurrently, investigations continued and the decision to issue the alert was generated by the significant increase in ex-Service pilot recruitment that we have witnessed earlier this year.

Elbit Systems UK: Navy

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the impact the departure of Elbit from Selborne will have on the delivery of that project.

Alex Chalk: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 7 November 2022 to Question number 77387 to the hon. Member for Islwyn (Chris Evans).Elbit Systems UK: Navy (docx, 20.8KB)

Merlin Helicopters: Repairs and Maintenance

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many EH101 Aircraft in his Department's fleet are unserviceable as of 9th November 2022; where unserviceable EH101 Aircraft are located; and what organisation or company is responsible returning these aircraft to serviceability.

Alex Chalk: As part of the Integrated Merlin Operational Support contract, Leonardo is currently working on twelve unserviceable Merlin helicopters.Of these, nine are located at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose with the other three being at the Leonardo site in Yeovil.

Multi Role Ocean Surveillance Ship

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance ships will be classed as Royal Fleet Auxiliary or Royal Navy ships.

Alex Chalk: No decision has yet been taken on whether the Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance ships will be classed as Royal Navy or Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the current average length of time taken to reach a decision on an application for relocation to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.

James Heappey: Not all ARAP applicants will receive an eligibility decision within the same timeframe and the time taken varies enormously from case-to-case. This could be due to the complexity of the case, the need to conduct checks with other government departments, or the length of time it takes an applicant to respond to follow-up queries. Therefore, due to the significant variation, it is not possible to provide an average timescale.I recognise the great concern all applicants to the scheme have for their safety and wellbeing. As such, considerable amounts of time, resources and personnel have been, and continue to be, deployed to ensure that applications are considered as quickly efficiently, accurately and fairly as possible.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications for relocation to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy have been submitted by Afghan nationals in third countries since August 2021; and how many of those applications (a) were refused and (b) are pending.

James Heappey: We are unable to reliably provide the number of refused and pending applications under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme submitted specifically by Afghans in third countries.It is not always possible to know the exact location of all those that apply for ARAP, as it is largely incumbent on them informing the casework team on their initial application. In addition, once an individual has been confirmed as eligible under the ARAP scheme their location data is amended throughout the process to reflect their relocation to the UK.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment

Duncan Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made on moving adult claimants on Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment.

Tom Pursglove: We are committed to ensuring people can access financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in a timely manner. We originally introduced a pause for most Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) reassessment activity as part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic on 23 March 2020; the exception being for DLA claimants who reported a change in needs. We are currently experiencing unprecedented levels of new claims to PIP. Reducing customer journey times for PIP claimants is a priority for the department and we are working constantly to make improvements to our service. To ensure we have the capacity in place to prioritise new claims and changes in circumstances, we are continuing to pause activity to randomly invite eligible adult DLA claimants to claim PIP. However, we are still continuing to invite DLA claimants to make a claim if they fall into one of the following categories:on reaching age 16;are nearing the end of their DLA award; orreport a change of circumstances. Additionally, current DLA claimants who wish to move to claim PIP can do so. DLA claimants who claim PIP in these circumstances continue to receive their DLA while their PIP claim is being assessed. This action, combined with improvements we have made to the claimant journey, has meant we are seeing a gradual improvement in new claim clearance times and the latest statistics show that the average end-to-end journey has steadily reduced from 26 weeks in August 2021 to 18 weeks at the end of July 2022.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his department is taking to reduce waiting times for Personal Independent Payment following an unsuccessful Mandatory Reconsideration.

Tom Pursglove: Following an unsuccessful Mandatory Reconsideration, a claimant may appeal to the first-tier tribunal. The Department for Work and Pensions and His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) have been working together to reduce delays in appeals being processed and heard. For its part, the DWP has: (i) recruited additional appeals staff; and (ii) reviewed its approach to drafting appeal responses, which has improved productivity. We recognise the importance of getting appeals processed and back to HMCTS without delay. At the same time, HMCTS is developing a new digital system with a view to enabling faster processing of appeals and thereby offering a better service to appellants.

Carers Allowance: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has received a request from the Welsh Government for details of people living in Wales who receive Carers Allowance.

Tom Pursglove: As far as I am aware, no such request has been made.

State Retirement Pensions

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to maintain the pensions triple lock.

Laura Trott: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is currently conducting his statutory annual review of State Pension and benefit rates. We cannot pre-empt the outcome of that review, which will be announced shortly. ​

Seagreen Wind Energy: Health and Safety

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the (a) Health and Safety Executive and (b) developers on the evacuation of a transformer platform on the Seagreen offshore wind farm off the coast of Angus in June 2022.

Mims Davies: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is aware of the incident and is using the information gained to inform its future interventions with the dutyholders. HSE is not aware of any other discussions with the developers. HSE has not held discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in relation to this matter.

Discretionary Housing Payments

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what amount of Discretionary Housing Payments funding his Department had spent on (a) 10 November 2021 and (b) 10 November 2022.

Mims Davies: The Government allocated £140m in Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) funding in 2021-22 and £100m in 2022-23 to Local Authorities in England and Wales. Local Authorities administer the DHP scheme as they are best placed to make informed judgements about relative priorities and needs in their area to ensure that the most vulnerable are supported and the funds are targeted effectively. Local Authorities mandatorily submit DHP expenditure information at mid-year, which covers expenditure over the first 6 months of the financial year (1st April to 30th September), and end-of-year which covers spend for the whole of the financial year (1st April to 31st March). These returns are used to produce statistics on Discretionary Housing Payments which are published twice a year and can be accessed here.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Hedges and Ditches: Urban Areas

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to (a) protect and (b) expand hedgerows in urban environments.

Trudy Harrison: Urban hedgerows are already offered protection through planning decisions. Local authorities have the ability to impose enforceable planning conditions on a developer to protect hedges or trees assessed as being worthy of retention, which might otherwise be harmed by construction or the new land-use. Developments which are subject to the Environment’s Act biodiversity gain requirement will also have to measure their impact on hedgerows with the biodiversity metric. Any losses will have to be compensated for with new or enhanced hedgerows, either on the development site or elsewhere. All wild birds, their eggs and their nests are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which prohibits killing, injuring, or taking of wild birds or taking or damaging their eggs and nests, providing further important protections for most hedgerows and wild birds. Furthermore, when the delivering the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 biodiversity duty, which is strengthened in the Environment Act 2021, a local authority could consider whether to plant hedgerows in their area as a demonstration of positive, active commitment to enhancing biodiversity. In addition, our £80 million Green Recovery Challenge Fund has kick-started a pipeline of 159 nature-based projects to restore nature, tackle climate change and connect people with the natural environment. In round 1 The Tree Council led the ‘Close the Gap’ Hedgerow Project which has planted 51km of new and restored hedgerow in urban and rural areas, working closely with farmers and community groups.

Tree Planting

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the (a) number of commercial tree nurseries and (b) the average number of trees grown by nurseries.

Trudy Harrison: The Forestry Commission publishes a list of Forest Reproductive Material suppliers as required by the Forest Reproductive Material (Great Britain) Regulations 2002. This is available on our GOV.UK site at: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/2195c92a086c4146972848c5190c9647/. This list covers forestry producers and does not represent the whole commercial nursery sector. Nursery production capacity is commercially sensitive information and for this reason there are no official estimates. However, Confor, a representative body of the timber and forestry industry, has provided estimates for nursery production capacity in 2020. The summary findings of the Confor Nursery Producers Group are available at: https://www.confor.org.uk/media/247662/sftt-ne-nursery-perspective.pdf.

British Overseas Territories: Biodiversity

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to preserve biodiversity in the overseas territories.

Trudy Harrison: HM Government continues to support conservation and biodiversity projects in the UK Overseas Territories, principally through our Darwin Plus competitive grants scheme. The scheme funds projects that aim to protect biodiversity and improve resilience to climate change within UK Overseas Territories. Over the last decade, the Darwin Plus programme has contributed over £38 million towards 180 projects in the Territories. HM Government has committed to make available £10 million each year until 2025 through Darwin Plus, and to expand the programme to better meet the needs identified by the Territories themselves. HM Government also supports these unique places through the Blue Belt Programme, aimed at protecting marine biodiversity and managing marine resources sustainably. The Blue Belt Programme has received around £35 million in funding, allowing Territories to access expert UK advice and leading technologies. HM Government is also refreshing our existing Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy, working closely with all fourteen Territories as a tool to guide future investment.

Fishing Catches: Yorkshire and the Humber

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with Yorkshire Water on the potential impact of raw sewage pollution on fishing stocks off the Yorkshire coast.

Rebecca Pow: HM Government has been repeatedly clear to water companies, including Yorkshire Water, that the levels of sewage pollution at present are completely unacceptable and they must take significant and urgent action to tackle them.

Furs: Trade

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her planned timetable is for publishing the response to her Department's consultation entitled Fur market in Great Britain.

Mark Spencer: HM Government made a commitment to explore potential action in relation to animal fur, as set out in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare. We have since conducted a Call for Evidence on the fur sector along with other forms of engagement with interested parties. We are continuing to build our evidence base on the fur sector and speak to a range of interested parties, to make sure we fully understand the issues at hand before taking any decisions regarding the import and export of animal fur products.

Animal Welfare

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to strengthen animal welfare protections in (a) the UK and (b) abroad.

Mark Spencer: HM Government outlined our ambitious programme of legislative and non-legislative animal welfare reforms in our Action Plan for Animal Welfare, published in May 2021. Animal welfare is a devolved matter and we continue to work closely with the devolved administrations to raise our already high standards of animal welfare across the United Kingdom. The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, which extends to Scotland as well as England and Wales, was reintroduced in May 2022 and will continue its passage through the Commons when parliamentary time allows. The Bill delivers key manifesto commitments to end the export of live animals for fattening and slaughter, crack down on illegal puppy smuggling, and ban the keeping of primates as pets. It will also update the Zoo Licensing Act 1981, introduce a new pet abduction offence following the work of the Pet Theft Taskforce and reform legislation to tackle livestock worrying which goes back to the 1950s. Also on the domestic front, the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 became law in the last Session and we are in the process of setting up the Animal Sentience Committee to advise HM Government on policies that impact on the welfare of animals. We have also introduced new powers for police and courts to tackle the illegal and cruel sport of hare coursing through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, and we also backed bills to increase the maximum penalties for animal cruelty offences from six months to five years imprisonment, introduce penalty notices for animal welfare offences and to ban glue traps, all of which have received Royal Assent. For animals overseas, the Ivory Act 2018 came into force in June 2022 to ensure protection for elephants and we are backing private member bills to ban the trade in shark fins and the import of hunting trophies. We have also continued to explore options in order to prohibit the advertising and offering for sale, here, of unacceptably low welfare activities involving wild animals.

Pets: Fireworks

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to help reduce the impact of firework usage on Guy Fawkes Day on the safety and welfare of family pets.

Rebecca Pow: HM Government takes the issues associated with the sale and use of fireworks seriously. There is a comprehensive regulatory framework already in place for fireworks which includes how to reduce risks and disturbances to the welfare of animals. Information on how to use fireworks responsibly can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/staying-safe-with-fireworksIt is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause an animal unnecessary suffering and this includes through the misuse of fireworks. Users of fireworks need to use them responsibly and be aware of animals close by, and those found guilty of causing animals unnecessary suffering can face up to five years' imprisonment.

Saltmarshes: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to include the restoration of saltmarshes for blue carbon in the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory.

Trudy Harrison: Nature-based solutions, including blue carbon habitats such as saltmarshes, have an important role to play in preventing biodiversity loss and supporting adaptation and resilience to climate change, alongside their carbon sequestration benefits. HM Government cannot currently commit to inclusion of coastal wetlands in the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory as there are currently significant evidence gaps that prevent the accurate reporting of anthropogenic activities and therefore emissions from coastal wetland habitats, including saltmarshes. The Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is responsible for the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory, but through the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership, Defra is working with BEIS and the other UK Administrations to address key research questions relating to blue carbon, including to support the potential future inclusion of saltmarsh in the inventory. The first aim of the Partnership has been to identify and then clearly set out the most pressing research questions relating to blue carbon in an Evidence Needs Statement that will act as a signal to the research community. The UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership plans to publish the Evidence Needs Statement in spring 2023.

Dogs: Animal Breeding

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to protect dogs from unregulated canine breeding clinics.

Rebecca Pow: Those operating canine fertility clinics, and owners using their services, are required under The Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the 2006 Act) to protect the animals involved from harm and to provide for their welfare in line with good practice. A breach of these provisions may lead to imprisonment, a fine, or both. The 2006 Act is backed up by the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs which provides owners and keepers with general welfare information, including a specific section on how to protect them from pain, suffering, injury and disease. That section of the Code of Practice recommends owners seek veterinary advice before breeding their dogs and that owners should take all reasonable steps to ensure that they are able to provide the care required during pregnancy. Under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (the 2018 Regulations) anyone in the business of breeding and selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters in a 12-month period needs to have a valid licence from their local authority. Under the 2018 Regulations licencees must achieve and maintain statutory minimum animal welfare standards, linked to the welfare needs of the Animal Welfare Act 2006: Dog breeding licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Fertility clinics which offer the diagnosis of diseases, perform tests for diagnostic purposes, or carry out medical or surgical treatment such as artificial insemination on dogs, are subject to the requirements of The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. The 1966 Act prohibits anyone who is not a veterinary surgeon registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) from undertaking any non-exempt procedure.

Poultry: Avian Influenza

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to increase the speed of issuing poultry movement licenses in Avian Influenza zones.

Mark Spencer: Defra’s policy on movement and licensing both from infected premises and within disease control zones surrounding infected premises are set out in the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain and Defra’s Contingency Plan for Exotic Notifiable Diseases of Animals in England. In summary, to prevent further disease spread certain movements of poultry, other captive birds, eggs, poultry products or materials associated with their keeping, or mammals from or to premises where poultry or other captive birds are kept, are only permitted within disease control zones or from premises where avian influenzas has been confirmed when licenced. All bird keepers in disease control zones have the opportunity to apply for movement licences for some specific low risk movements from disease control zones, as do keepers on infected premises with regard to the movement of animals (excluding birds) from the infected premises. To improve the efficiency with which movement licenses can be assessed and where possible issued, in February 2022 the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s online licensing service was launched. The licensing service enables users to check the status of their application, add further information in support of their application and download issued licences. However, all license applications are assessed on the basis of a veterinary risk assessment and licence applications must be made at least 5 days before the license needs to be used, to enable these assessments to be undertaken. All businesses have a contingency plan for responding both to disease outbreaks on their premises and in the event that they are located in a disease control zone. To reduce the administrative burden on bird keepers, general licenses have also been made available for a number of low risk activities. General licences allow a movement or activity that would otherwise be prohibited. If a keeper is able to comply with all the requirements of the general license, they can rely on the general licence as providing authority for the movement or activity and do not need to apply for a specific license. Licences for movements of poultry, other captive birds, eggs, poultry products or materials associated with their keeping are not required outside of disease control zones or from any Captive Bird (Monitoring) Controlled Zone. On the 27 October 2022 amendments to the Avian Influenza Order No. 2 came into force, which brought the definition of “poultry” and “non-commercial premises” into alignment with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) definitions. These amendments facilitate the use of captive bird (monitoring) controlled zones (where movement licenses are not required) in England for non-commercial lower risk premises where poultry or captive birds which are kept as pets but also produce eggs.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Redundancy Pay

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost to the public purse has been of Ministerial severance pay in her Department in each year since 1 January 2016.

Mark Spencer: Under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, eligible Ministers who leave office are entitled to a one off payment equivalent to one quarter of their annual salary at the point at which they leave Government. This applies only where a Minister is under 65 and is not appointed to a ministerial office within three weeks of leaving government. Individuals may waive the payment to which they are entitled. That is a matter for their personal discretion, but this approach has been taken in the past. Details of such payments are published in departmental annual reports and accounts, and ministerial salaries are published on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-salary-data

Home Office

Members: Correspondence

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of (a) 17 June, (b) 8 August, (c) 21 September and (d) 26 October 2022 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay relating to a constituent, case reference JB38096.

Robert Jenrick: PQ 83540 – MPAM reference – MPAM/0413457/22 – The Home Office responded to the correspondence on 10 November 2022.PQ 83541 – MPAM reference – MPAM/0413047/22 – The Home Office responded to the correspondence on 10 November 2022.

Asylum: Youth Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to provide youth services to children and young people living in (a) contingency and (b) initial asylum accommodation.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to provide (a) adults and (b) young people awaiting the processing of their asylum application with access to (i) leisure and recreational activities, (ii) education and (iii) work opportunities whilst they are in (A) initial and (B) contingency asylum accommodation.

Robert Jenrick: Within adult and family contingency and initial asylum accommodation, our service provider has a robust delivery model in place to ensure our service users are able to occupy the site with suitable facilities to minimise the impact on the local community. However, we appreciate there may be a need for some front line services to support our users. We do have an on-site specialist team 24 hours a day 7 days a week provided by our provider who are on hand to provide support and advice as well as monitoring the service users’ wellbeing, movement and escalate any safeguarding concerns.Local authorities have a duty to provide suitable full-time education for all children of compulsory school age resident in their area. The education must be appropriate to the child’s age, ability, and any special educational needs they may have, regardless of their immigration status. Local authorities must offer free school places in accordance with their published admissions arrangements, and they must ensure that there is no unreasonable delay in securing school admission for any child. This includes provision for children who are temporarily living in an authority’s area for long enough to attend school including the child of an asylum seeker in interim asylum support accommodation.

Migrants: Employment

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help non-EU citizens with biometric residence permits who cannot access a share code online prove their right to work.

Robert Jenrick: We are delivering a streamlined, simplified and modern visa system that meets the needs of the Home Office and its customers. Increasingly, we are replacing physical and paper-based products and services with accessible, easy to use online and digital services. This includes providing individuals with the ability to prove their right to work using a secure share code that employers can check online.If an individual is unable to provide a share code due to a technical issue, they can contact the UKVI Resolution Centre. The centre is open seven days a week for telephone and email enquiries. Individuals can contact the UKVI Resolution Centre, including by phone, to request us to share status on their behalf, if they are unable to do so themselves.Further information is available on right to work checks on GOV.UK at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-work-checks-employers-guide.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department are taking to prevent the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from interfering in British political, cultural and religious life.

Tom Tugendhat: Though we do not routinely comment on operational matters or specific threats, the UK will always stand up to threats from foreign nations. We will use all tools at our disposal to protect the UK and our interests from any Iran-linked threats.I recognise the importance of tackling all threats to, and interference in, the functioning of our democracy and our civil society.As I announced in this House on 1 November, the Prime Minister has asked me to lead a taskforce to drive forward work to protect UK democratic processes. This taskforce will consider the full range of threats, including interference, to build further resilience within our democratic institutions and safeguard against physical, personnel and cyber threats.

Health Services: Asylum

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Office, what healthcare support is provided for refugees and asylum seekers at (a) reception centres, (b) detention centres and (c) hotels.

Robert Jenrick: a)Medical services are delivered at Manston and Western Jetfoil through two separate but complementary contracts with external suppliers. Currently, in total, there are eight paramedical/medical trained staff on site by day, in a fully equipped medical centre. In addition, there are three Emergency Department Consultant doctors providing clinical cover at the site; and a Consultant is on site during the day between 0800-2000hrs, with on-call cover provided overnight. b)All immigration removal centres (IRC) have dedicated health facilities run by doctors and nurses which are managed by the NHS or appropriate providers. All receptions into IRCs receive an assessment within two hours by a nurse and are offered a doctor’s appointment within 24 hours. In addition to published guidance, staff at all centres are also given training and support to proactively identify and act upon indicators of vulnerability at the earliest opportunity. Welfare teams are onsite at every IRC to assist detained individuals in accessing support specific to their needs.c)Asylum seekers have full access to NHS health service upon arrival in the UK. The Home Office and its accommodation providers work closely with partners across public health. We have worked closely with NHS to ensure that service users are signposted to register with GP’s as quickly as possible and that access to Health Screenings offered by individual practices are signposted to service users new to contingency hotels in boroughs. All Home Office staff and contractors engaging with asylum seekers are trained to adopt a risk-based approach towards potential indications of vulnerability and to refer relevant cases onto the Safeguarding Hub, a dedicated resource assigned to identifying and safeguarding vulnerable asylum seekers. The Safeguarding Hub works closely with the statutory agencies to signpost vulnerable customers for support with their health and social care needs. On 25 June we and DHSC set up a National Asylum Seeker Steering Group (NASHSG) and associated subgroups. The group brings together experts from across the health and immigration sectors to consider the specific health and wellbeing needs, barriers and solutions for people seeking asylum status in the UK.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to support Afghan nationals relocated to the UK under the ex gratia redundancy and resettlement scheme; and whether such individuals are eligible for (a) university scholarships and (b) other sources of financial support on the same basis as individuals relocated under (i) the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (ii) the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for leave to remain by family members of Afghan nationals relocated to the UK under the (a) ex gratia redundancy and resettlement scheme; (b) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (c) Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme have been (i) submitted and (ii) approved since August 2021.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on pathways to permanent residence in the UK for extended family members of Afghan nationals relocated to the UK under the (a) ex gratia redundancy and resettlement scheme, (b) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (c) Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

Robert Jenrick: Through Operation Warm Welcome, Afghans who come to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will be supported in accessing accommodation and the vital health, education, and support into employment they need to fully integrate into society. All individuals relocated to the UK under the Ex-Gratia Scheme are entitled to the same support package as those relocated through the ARAP - the scheme’s successor - including provisions under operation Warm Welcome, such as access to education and financial support. Our officials are working at pace to see that all eligible individuals who arrived before, during and after the evacuation are granted ILR. Having already registered over 13,000 (and counting) applications for resettlement from Afghans, with Biometric Residence Permits being issued accordingly. Whilst data on the number on applications to the Ex-Gratia scheme is not available in a reportable format, the recently published, 'Afghan Resettlement: Operational Data' factsheet shows that, at 12 Aug 2022: We have granted ILR to 11,303 individuals across ARAP and ACRS.We are unable, at this time, to provide a breakdown of whether a grant of leave was made under the ARAP or ACRS.The factsheet will be updated every quarter – with the next iteration scheduled for publication on 24 November 2022. The Government provides a safe and legal route to bring families together, through its family reunion policy. This allows a partner, or spouse, and children under 18 of refugees granted protection in the UK, to join them here, if they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country. To support people in Afghanistan, that have family who have been granted protection in the UK, to understand their options, we have provided information on family reunion online, at: Family reunion - GOV.UK Those who are not eligible for protection under our resettlement schemes or family reunion policy, will need to apply to come to the UK under our existing economic or family migration rules, which can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration To bolster the support we’ll offer to those eligible for relocation or family reunion in the UK, we intend to establish a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan as soon as the security and political situation in the country allows.

Infectious Diseases: Detention Centres

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November to Question 78840 on Detention Centres: Infectious Diseases, whether he has held discussions with Directors of Public Health in relevant local authorities on the protocols for preventing and controlling infectious diseases in each of the (a) immigration removal centres and (b) residential short-term holding facilities, as of 9 November 2022.

Robert Jenrick: Healthcare in immigration removal centres (IRCs) and residential short-term holding facilities (RSTHFs) in England is commissioned by NHS England, and the healthcare services are provided by NHS England & NHS Improvement commissioned service providers, delivered in line with the national service specifications for healthcare services in IRCs. At Dungavel IRC in Scotland, and Larne House STHF in Northern Ireland, healthcare is commissioned by the service providers.The Home Office follows national guidance issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Public Health Scotland (PHS) and NHS, including advice on preventing and controlling infectious disease outbreaks in prisons and other prescribed places of detention. The healthcare provider and UKHSA undertake regular discussions with key stakeholders including Directors of Public Health in relevant local authorities on the protocols for preventing and controlling infection disease, with input from the Home Office where appropriate.

Detention Centres: Manston

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she or Ministers in her Department held discussions with any migrants at Manston Immigration Processing Centre on (a) 3 November 2022 and (b) 31 October 2022.

Robert Jenrick: As part of our respective visits to Manston, the Home Secretary and I engaged with a wide range of people on site.

Undocumented Migrants: Albania

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Albanians arrived in the UK on small boats between 1 June 2022 and 31 October 2022; and how many and what proportion of these Albanians stated that they intended to apply for asylum.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Albanians arrived in the UK on small boats between 1 June 2022 and 31 October 2022; and how many and what proportion of those Albanians said they had been victims of modern slavery.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes statistics on small boat arrivals to the UK in the ‘Irregular Migration to the UK statistics’ report. Data on small boat arrivals are published in table Irr_01 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK data tables’ with the top 20 nationalities arriving via small boat published in table Irr_02b with the latest data up to the end of June 2022. The release also includes information about the number of small boat arrivals who claim asylum.The Home Office published a factsheet on small boat crossings since July 2022, including information on the number of small boat arrivals and asylum claims of Albanians.The Home Office publishes statistics on referrals to the National Referral Mechanism for potential victims of modern slavery in the ‘National Referral Mechanism statistics’. Data on the number of potential victims of modern slavery referred to the NRM (including nationality breakdowns) are published in the ‘National Referral Mechanism and Duty to Notify data tables’ with the latest data for July – September 2022.

Migrants: Employment

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in which quarters has the Employer Checking Service response times failed to meet its Service Level Agreements since 2018.

Robert Jenrick: The information is not available in the format requested and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Sexual Offences: Convictions

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many sexual offences were (a) reported, (b) charged and (c) resulted in a conviction in England and Wales in each month since July 2021.

Miss Sarah Dines: Information on the number of offences recorded each quarter and the investigative outcomes of crimes including charges recorded by the police in England and Wales by offence category, for sexual offences, is routinely published by the Home Office here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables.Data on the number of convictions recorded by the police in England and Wales on a quarterly basis can be found in the Outcomes by Offence tool published as part of the Criminal Justice System Statistics publication for convictions here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1113400/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2021-revised-2.xlsx.

Asylum: Housing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons his Department provides local services funding for Initial Asylum accommodation and not Contingency Asylum accommodation.

Robert Jenrick: On 13th April 2022, the then Minister for Safe and Legal Migration announced we would move to a full model for dispersal, to end our reliance on the use of temporary contingency accommodation.We have committed to working with local authorities to move to a fairer distribution of asylum seekers. All local authority areas in England, Scotland and Wales will be expected to participate in the new system process to allow us to move from hotels to less expensive and more suitable dispersed accommodation.

Refugees: Ukraine

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to speed up the average processing time for applications to the (a) the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme and (b) the Ukraine Family Scheme.

Robert Jenrick: Applications for Ukraine Schemes are processed as quickly as possible whilst ensuring that the appropriate checks and safeguarding measures are in place. Staff from other departments were brought in to assist and many remain in place to maintain caseworking capacity.

Asylum: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of moving children staying in contingency asylum accommodation to another area on (a) those children and (b) their education; and if she will take steps to keep children in the same area once they have been moved into contingency or initial asylum accommodation.

Robert Jenrick: The use of contingency accommodation is only ever a short-term solution to ensure that we meet our statutory obligation to house destitute asylum seekers.Successive years of record numbers crossing the channel has meant that the Home Office has had to deal with growing demand for asylum support with reduced accommodation services. Children in contingency accommodation who are part of a family group will move with the family as and when they are relocated. Accommodation is offered on a no-choice basis across the United Kingdom. There are established mechanisms in place if individuals have a specific, acute need to be accommodated in a particular area. These mechanisms are supported by Migrant Help and asylum support casework teams.Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children will be accommodated in dedicated hotels until they are moved into local authority care.

Immigration

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has plans to increase the number of regular pathways for people to migrate to the UK from (a) Ukraine, (b) Afghanistan and (c) Hong Kong.

Robert Jenrick: There are currently no plans to expand the number of regular pathways as those listed may be eligible to relocate to the UK through existing safe and legal routes.In response to the Ukraine crisis, this government has introduced three schemes: the Ukraine Extension Scheme (UES), the Ukraine Family Scheme (UFS), and for those without family links to the UK, the Homes for Ukraine (HFU) Scheme.In response to events in Afghanistan we launched the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) which will see up to 20,000 people resettled to the UK. This is in addition to the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) which offers Afghan nationals who have worked for, or alongside, the UK Government relocation the UK.In response to China’s passing of the National Security Law in Hong Kong, the government introduced the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route which offers those with BN(O) status and their eligible family members the opportunity to come to the UK to live, study and work on a pathway to citizenship.In addition, the UK continues to welcome vulnerable refugees in need of protection in other parts of the world through the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and Mandate Resettlement Schemes.

China: Surveillance

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for (a) Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and (b) Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on taking steps to protect and support (i) people from Hong Kong and (ii) Uighur Muslims from surveillance and oppression within the UK.

Tom Tugendhat: The Government regularly assesses potential threats to the UK, and takes the protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK very seriously. As you would expect, Home Office officials work closely with the FCDO and DLUHC as well as other government departments to ensure that the UK is a safe and welcoming place for people who choose to settle here.As I stated to the House on 1 November, I have asked officials to step up the work to ensure that our approach to transnational repression is robust, and I have asked our Department to review our approach to transnational repression as a matter of urgency. This will include how we work with other Departments including the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to ensure that communities feel safe and supported. I will provide an update on that work to the House in due course.

Detention Centres: Manston

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many hotels that could be used to accommodate detainees at the Manston immigration facility (a) was the Home Secretary invited by Home Office officials to approve and (b) did the Home Secretary personally grant approval for between 6 September 2022 and 19 October 2022.

Robert Jenrick: We are committed to working closely with communities and stakeholders to ensure destitute asylum seekers are housed in safe, secure and suitable accommodation, and that they are treated with dignity while their asylum claim is considered. All appropriate options are being explored to ensure that suitable accommodation is secured as quickly as is necessary and hotels are one element, with such hotels typically used to accommodate any destitute asylum seekers, not just those who have spent time at Manston.

Detention Centres: Manston

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the statement on Western Jet Foil and Manston Asylum Processing Centres on Monday 31 October 2022 Col 644, how many new hotels were approved for use for individuals from Manston Immigration Processing Centre between 6 September 2022 and 19 October 2022, broken down by (a) county and (b) constituency.

Robert Jenrick: Given the pressing need to move people from Manston, we are considering all possible options and acting to secure suitable accommodation at pace.Between 6 September 2022 and 19 October 2022, all 119 hotels proposed for potential use as contingency asylum accommodation were given approval to progress. Home Office officials and our accommodation providers are now progressing due diligence and engagement on each proposed site to ensure that they are suitable, affordable and in line with appropriate standards.As part of our engagement, relevant local authorities and MPs have been informed directly of the sites under consideration in their area. In doing so, we retain our commitment to work with local partners to understand and address concerns during and after any implementation period. It would not be appropriate to publicise details of the location of the individual sites under consideration whilst due diligence remains underway.Of the 119 sites being progressed, so far 16 of these sites have been brought into use for contingency asylum accommodation across Ashford, Brighton & Hove, Camden, Epping Forest, Erewash, Ipswich, Kingston upon Thames, Newham, Oxfordshire, Reading, South Kesteven, Stevenage, Swindon, West Northamptonshire, and Westminster.

Detention Centres: Manston

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she personally requested to be transported to the Manston asylum processing site from Dover via Chinook helicopter on 3 November 2022.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason an RAF helicopter was used to transport her to the Manston asylum processing site on 3 November 2022.

Robert Jenrick: The overflight of the operational area was a critical part of an itinerary put together and approved by Clandestine Channel Threat Commander Dan O’Mahoney to enable the Home Secretary to get an overview of operations in the Channel.

Undocumented Migrants: Albania

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the arrival of illegal Albanian migrants on organised crime in the UK.

Robert Jenrick: The government and law enforcement agencies work tirelessly to tackle all organised criminal networks which target the UK. This includes regularly assessing the impact of organised crime on this country to ensure we are best able to meet the changing threats we face. In line with this, the Home Office and our law enforcement partners continually monitor the threat posed by organised crime groups in relation to illegal migration from Albania to support operational and policy decision making.

Travel Requirements: Hong Kong

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will make it its policy to issue travel documents to children born in the UK to parents from Hong Kong on the British National (Overseas) visa so that those families are not required to enter Chinese consulate grounds.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office does not have plans to issue travel documents to children of parents on the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route.Individuals arriving in the UK must produce a valid passport with a photograph or some other document, which satisfactorily establishes their identity and nationality, if required to do so by a Border Force officer. Individuals who wish to travel outside the UK will need to comply with the entry requirements of the country they wish to enter, which may require a valid travel document to establish their identity and nationality.It remains the case that those who hold a HKSAR passport and wish to travel to and from the UK will need to renew that passport or arrange for alternative documentation. The UK cannot assist with the renewal of passports of other nationalities.

Members: Correspondence

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to respond to the letters of (a) 19 August (b) 30 August (c) 21 September and (d) 26 October from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay, relating to a constituent, case reference JB38659.

Robert Jenrick: PQ 83540 – MPAM reference – MPAM/0413457/22 – The Home Office responded to the correspondence on 10 November 2022.PQ 83541 – MPAM reference – MPAM/0413047/22 – The Home Office responded to the correspondence on 10 November 2022

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Housing Associations: Rents

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the potential financial impact of the proposed cap on rent increases on housing associations in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025.

Felicity Buchan: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 80923, on 15 November 2022.

European Regional Development Fund: Brexit

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much European Regional Development Funding has not been received in (a) England and (b) Scotland since the UK left the European Union; and how much of that potential funding was replaced by the Government funding in (a) England and (b) Scotland.

Dehenna Davison: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Temporary Accommodation: Costs

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the total cost to the public purse of the provision of temporary accommodation in (a) 2022 and (b) 2021.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to reduce the cost to the public purse of Government spending on temporary accommodation.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps his Department has taken with local authorities to help improve the standard of temporary accommodation in England.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many families were temporarily housed outside their home local authority area in England as of 9 November (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.

Felicity Buchan: Detailed information on local authority revenue expenditure and financing can be found here.Local authorities have received £316 million through the Homelessness Prevention Grant in 2022/23, helping them to prevent homelessness and help more people sooner. This is on top of the £375 million Homelessness Prevention Grant funding local authorities received in 2021/22.Local authorities should avoid placing households out of their borough. In some areas where there is a limited supply of suitable accommodation, we are aware that it can be necessary to place households in temporary accommodation outside of the local area. This, however, should be as a last resort.The Statutory Homelessness Statistics show that in 2021 there were a total of 105,360 households placed in temporary accommodation outside their area. The most recent publication of January - March 2022 show there was 26,620 households placed in temporary accommodation outside their area during that quarter.

Private Rented Housing: Evictions

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the (a) measures within and (b) timing of the legislative programme for the Renters Reform Bill on levels of section 21 evictions.

Felicity Buchan: The Government will publish an Impact Assessment alongside the Renters' Reform Bill.

Homelessness: Care Leavers

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available to prevent care leavers from becoming homeless.

Felicity Buchan: The Government's Rough Sleeping Strategy confirmed funding for specialist personal advisers who provide targeted support to young people leaving care most at risk of homelessness in 69 local authorities.The Government will also continue investment into the 'Staying Put' programme which requires local authorities to support young people to remain with their former foster care to age 21 if the carer and young person want the fostering arrangement to continue, and scale up the number of local areas offering the 'Staying Close' programme, which enable young people leaving care to stay with, or in touch with, former foster families and children's homes for longer - building their resilience as they transition to independent living.

Supported Housing: Domestic Abuse

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many domestic abuse victims were in exempt accommodation with other homeless people as of 11 November 2022.

Felicity Buchan: This information requested is not held centrally. We have however introduced new funding duties on local authorities within the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 for the provision of accommodation-based support.

Homelessness: Applications

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many live homelessness applications there were for (a) adults and (b) children in each local authority on 25 December 2021.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the number and proportion of people who are in receipt of a Section 21 notice who are at risk of homelessness as of 9 November 2022.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department expects to publish the latest round of homelessness figures.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will make an estimate of the number of people who are (a) at risk of homelessness, (b) owed a prevention duty and (c) have been moved onto a relief duty that are in (i) full-time and (ii) part-time employment as of 9 November 2022.

Felicity Buchan: The latest statutory homelessness statistics for England are available here. This includes data on those served with a section 21 notice. Updates will be published in due course.

Elections: Proof of Identity

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps the Government is taking to support (a) vulnerable individuals and (b) local authorities with the upcoming requirement to show photo ID for voting in UK Parliamentary elections; and whether the Government will be running public information campaigns to raise awareness of the changes.

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if the Government will make additional funding available to local authorities to support the implementation of voter ID requirements included in the Elections Act 2022.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which security features he is considering recommending on the (a) free voter authority certificates and (b) anonymous elector’s document required in May 2023.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans he has to produce guidance on the forms of identification that will be accepted at polling stations following the coming into force of the Elections Act 2022; and whether provisional driving licences will be among the acceptable forms of identification.

Lee Rowley: Schedule 1 of the Elections Act 2022 sets out the forms of identification that will be accepted at polling stations in order to receive a ballot paper. Driving licences are an accepted form of identification, and this includes provisional driving licences.Everyone who is eligible to vote will continue to have the opportunity to do so. Research has shown that the overwhelming majority of electors already have accepted identification. Any eligible voter who does not have one of the wide range of acceptable forms of photographic identification will be able to apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate from their local authority.The Electoral Commission will deliver a national communications campaign for voter identification. Funding will be provided to local authorities to cover additional costs as a result of the changes, in line with established government policy. Further information will be announced in due course in the appropriate way.A range of security features will be present on both the Voter Authority Certificate and Anonymous Elector's Document and these have been developed in conjunction with suppliers and HM Passport Office.There will be overt security measures present to allow quick and easy confirmation should a document's validity be in question. However, it is established good practice not to publish the full details of all security features, as doing so would expose them to those who may attempt to forge or tamper with them. Withholding a degree of information is essential to ensure these documents' security remains intact.

Affordable Housing and Social Rented Housing: Construction

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department plans to take to support the construction of social and affordable housing by (a) councils and (b) housing associations; and what recent assessment he has made of the impact of inflation on construction costs.

Lucy Frazer: Further to the answer I gave to Question UIN 78825 on 11 November 2022, we continue to work with stakeholders across the sector to monitor the impacts of inflation to ensure the homes people need continue to be built.

Buildings: Insulation

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what provisions there are within the Building Safety Act 2022 to hold cladding remediation companies who installed defective and unsafe cladding to account.

Lee Rowley: We have brought forward an ambitious toolkit of measures under the Building Safety Act 2022, which enables those responsible for defective work to be pursued. Civil claims can now be brought against manufacturers of, or those who have supplied, defective or mis-sold construction products, or those who have supplied or marketed in breach of regulations, where these products have been incorporated in a dwelling and that has caused or contributed to a dwelling being unfit for habitation. This provision, which applies to all dwellings, has retrospective effect for cladding products with a limitation period of 30 years and prospective effect for all construction products with a limitation period of 15 years.The Act retrospectively extends the limitation period under section 1 of the Defective Premises Act 1972 from six to 30 years and extends the reach of civil liability to associated companies of developers, including trusts, to ensure that those businesses in the sector who have used shell companies and other complex corporate structures can be pursued for contributions towards the remediation of historical safety defects. These provisions will help to ensure that all parties that play a part in creating building safety defects are in line for costs to rectify them.The Act gives the Secretary of State the power to establish a statutory scheme to distinguish between industry actors that have committed to take responsibility for making buildings safe, including by remedying defective buildings, and those that fail to do so. The Act also gives the Secretary of State powers to prevent those that have failed to take responsibility from carrying out development for which planning permission has been granted, and to prevent them from receiving building control approval on their developments. This means that those that take responsibility and do the right thing can continue to go about their business freely and with confidence, while those that don't may suffer commercial and reputational consequences.Additionally, anti-avoidance and enforcement provisions - including remediation orders and remediation contributions orders - are included in the Act to ensure that those who are liable to pay under leaseholder protections actually do so. Relevant authorities now have the power to compel responsible entities to fund and undertake the necessary remediation work. Where firms are repeatedly refusing to pay to fix these buildings, the government's new Recovery Strategy Unit will pursue these firms, working closely with other enforcement authorities.

Local Government Finance

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of the funding shortfall for councils in the next financial year.

Lee Rowley: With reference to financial year 2023/2024, the Government is currently considering elements of the future local government financial settlement and will make announcements in due course.

Elections: Proof of Identity

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what companies were awarded the contract for providing watermarked paper for voter ID documents; and what is the deadline for this paper being supplied.

Lee Rowley: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of Government contracts awarded greater than £10,000 are published on contracts finder.

UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, further to his Answer of 7 February 2022 to Question 77576 on UN Committee On the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, when the Government plans to submit the next periodic report to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Lee Rowley: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 77576, answered on the 7 November 2022.

Local Government Finance

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the timetable is for the Government's local government Fair Funding Review.

Lee Rowley: The Local Government Finance Settlement makes available funding for local authorities in England. On wider potential reform, The Government will bring forward its plan for the year ahead in the usual way through the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement.The Government will notify and work with local partners before consulting on any potential funding changes.

Flats: Insulation

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of rising mortgage rates on accidental landlords, those home-owners who are unable to sell their property due to cladding issues which prevent them from obtaining a favourable EWS1 certificate.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions has his Department had with mortgage lenders on accidental landlords. those home-owners who are unable to sell their homes due to cladding issues which prevent them from obtaining a favourable EWS1 certificate.

Lee Rowley: On 15 July, the largest mortgage lenders confirmed that, subject to their normal policy requirements, they will be able to lend on any property that is part of a developer or government remediation scheme or properties that are protected by the new statutory protections, as evidenced by a qualifying lease certificate.We continue to work with, and meet, lenders regularly to ensure the operationalisation of these changes. As a result, we expect the challenges faced by those struggling to buy and sell, including for those in flats where remediation has not yet begun, will be eased.The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is to shortly publish new guidance for valuers. This will support the valuation of property subject to building safety remediation and will reflect the leaseholder protections stemming from the Building Safety Act.

Capital Investment

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the need for Investment and Enterprise zones with (a) generous tax reductions and (b) easy access to planning permissions for accelerated development.

Lee Rowley: The Prime Minister and his Cabinet are reviewing all policies, including Investment Zones, to ensure that we deliver on the 2019 Manifesto. Policy announcements will be made in the usual way. More broadly, the Department takes a range of factors into account as part of policy development.

Northern Ireland Office

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October to Question 59997 on Abortion: Northern Ireland, when he expects the provision of abortion services in Northern Ireland- to start.

Chris Heaton-Harris: On 24 October, I announced the UK Government’s intention to commission abortion services in Northern Ireland in line with my statutory duty under section 9 of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation Etc.) Act 2019. I will be meeting with Chief Executives in the coming weeks and will provide assurances to Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Trusts to ensure that they can start to build up the required services.

Veterinary Medicine and Vaccination: Northern Ireland

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the continued availability of veterinary (a) medicines and (b) vaccines in Northern Ireland after December 2022.

Mr Steve Baker: We are facing a supply challenge at the end of 2022 when many of the veterinary medicines supplied to Northern Ireland will be at risk of discontinuation. We would like to reach a negotiated agreement with the EU that would safeguard the supply of veterinary medicines and vaccines to Northern Ireland. If that is not possible, we reserve the right to take action to ensure that animals in Northern Ireland can continue to access the veterinary medicines and vaccines they need. If we cannot reach a negotiated solution, the Protocol Bill aims to ensure that there are no barriers in domestic law that prevent medicines, for either human or veterinary use, from being supplied to Northern Ireland.

Schools: Construction

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether it is his Department’s policy that Fresh Start agreement funding allocated to support shared and integrated education can be spent beyond 2026 if work on specific new school build programmes has already started.

Mr Steve Baker: The Government remains committed to the Fresh Start Agreement, which offered £500 million in capital funding over 10 years to shared and integrated education capital building projects and shared housing schemes.The Agreement reflects the Government's sincere belief that greater integration within education is an essential aspect of the reconciliation process in Northern Ireland.The Government continues to work with Northern Ireland Departments on funding arrangements and projects under the Agreement.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Recruitment

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how much their Department spent on external recruitment consultants in 2021.

Nigel Huddleston: The Department for International Trade received support from external recruitment consultants for three Senior Civil Servant recruitment campaigns in 2021. The total cost of this support was £84,568.75. This support is used for when the department is looking to recruit for roles that require a niche skillset, or when it is difficult to attract external candidates. No external recruitment consultant support was received for recruitment at other grades.

Trade Barriers: EU Countries and India

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will publish a list of trade barriers her Department has identified facing British businesses in (a) India, (b) France and (c) Germany; and if she will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will publish the database of trade barriers referred to in the speech by the Minister for Trade Policy to the Global Trade Conference 2022 at Chatham House on 3 November 2022; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Huddleston: Government routinely publishes market access barrier information via the Check International Trade Barriers service on gov.uk (https://www.check-international-trade-barriers.service.gov.uk/) which includes 469 resolved and unresolved barriers in over 60 countries.

Urine Drainage Bags: Import Duties

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will take steps to classify urine drainage bags as medical devices.

Nigel Huddleston: Urine drainage bags are currently classified as articles of plastic under the commodity code 3926 90 97 90. Although urine drainage bags are used in conjunction with medical products (e.g. catheters), they are not in themselves considered to be medical devices. Businesses can access advice on how to classify their goods at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ask-hmrc-for-advice-on-classifying-your-goods or contact classification.enquiries@hmrc.gov.uk We have recently received stakeholder feedback on tariffs on urine drainage bags. We are considering the evidence provided alongside wider UK Government analysis.

Department for International Trade: Redundancy Pay

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the cost to the public purse has been of Ministerial severance pay in her Department in each year since 1 January 2016.

Nigel Huddleston: Under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, eligible Ministers who leave office are entitled to a one off payment equivalent to one quarter of their annual salary at the point at which they leave Government. This applies only where a Minister is under 65 and is not appointed to a ministerial office within three weeks of leaving government. Individuals may waive the payment to which they are entitled. That is a matter for their personal discretion. Details of such payments are published in departmental annual reports and accounts, and ministerial salaries are published on GOV.UK at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1027301/Salaries_of_Members_of_Her_Majestys_Government_-_Financial_Year_2021-22_-_Publication.pdf.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

English National Opera: Finance

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding Arts Council England provided to the English National Opera in the (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23 and (c) 2023-24 financial year.

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to undertake a review of the level of funding that will be provided by Arts Council England to the English National Opera between 2023 and 2026.

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of opening a new opera house in a town or city outside of London.

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) Arts Council England, (b) the English National Opera and (c) any other external organisation on funding settlements made by Arts Council England before the announcement of 4 November 2022.

Stuart Andrew: Arts Council England (ACE) provided the English National Opera (ENO) with £12,607,792 of public funding in 2021/22 and 2022/23 through its 2018–22 Investment Programme. Decisions about which organisations to fund in its Investment Programme, and by how much, are taken by Arts Council England alone. As part of its decisions regarding the 2023–26 Investment Programme, Arts Council England has offered the English National Opera £17 million to help it transition from its current model and explore a new future.I can confirm that all decisions on which organisations to fund through the 2023–26 Investment Programme and their precise allocations have been taken by Arts Council England.As the Cabinet Minister responsible for arts and culture, the Secretary of State regularly meets Arts Council England, which is an arms-length body of the Department. She met Arts Council England officials to discuss the overall process, outcome and plan for announcement on 2 November. However, the Secretary of State held no meetings with the English National Opera or any other external organisation to discuss this Investment Programme’s funding settlements prior to its announcement.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Redundancy Pay

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the cost to the public purse has been of Ministerial severance pay in her Department in each year since 1 January 2016.

Julia Lopez: Under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, eligible Ministers who leave office are entitled to a one off payment equivalent to one quarter of their annual salary at the point at which they leave the government.This applies only where a Minister is under 65 and is not appointed to a ministerial office within three weeks of leaving government.Individuals may waive the payment to which they are entitled. That is a matter for their personal discretion, but this approach has been taken in the past.Details of such payments are published in departmental annual reports and accounts, and ministerial salaries are published on GOV.UK.

BBC: Local Broadcasting

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to require a minimum level of local broadcast coverage in all areas as part of the agreement with the BBC that sits alongside the Charter.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions has she had with BBC Local Radio on the requirements to maintain early evening local broadcasting live.

Julia Lopez: While it is up to the BBC to decide how it delivers its services, I have met with BBC leadership and shared concerns expressed in recent parliamentary proceedings about reductions to BBC Local Radio. The Government has been clear that, as our national broadcaster, the BBC must make sure it continues to provide distinctive and genuinely local radio services, with content that reflects and represents people and communities from all corners of the UK.The BBC have outlined that, under the current proposals, overall investment in local services is being maintained, which includes £19m from broadcast services being moved to online and multimedia production to adapt to audience changes. The BBC has confirmed that it is protecting local news bulletins throughout the day, and local live sport, and community programming across all 39 stations, and that there will be fully local programming between 6am and 2pm, with neighbouring or regional sharing in most of the remaining listening hours.Ofcom, as the independent regulator of the BBC, is responsible for ensuring that the BBC continues to meet the public service obligations set out in the BBC Charter, Agreement, and Operating Licence. The Government understands that Ofcom is continuing to discuss these proposals with the BBC.

Sports: Cryptocurrencies

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the merits of regulating the promotion of cryptoassets in sport; and if she will make a statement.

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer (b) the Cryptoasset Taskforce, (c) the Premier League, (d) Premier League Football Clubs, (e) Premier League Football Club Supporter Associations and (f) the Football Supporters’ Association on the regulation of cryptoassets in sport.

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with sporting industry stakeholders on cryptoassets with since 4 April 2022; and what assessment she has made of the need to regulate the promotion of cryptoassets in sport.

Stuart Andrew: The Government has noted a growing market of partnerships between sports bodies and crypto asset businesses.The variety of crypto asset products is wide and evolving. We have always encouraged innovation in sports markets but this must be done with the interests of fans in mind and must be transparent on risks.My officials have discussed cryptoassets in conversations with the Premier League, the English Football League and the Treasury.As I stated in the recent Westminster Hall Debate on this issue, the government will continue to monitor the use and promotion of cryptoassets in sport and will factor this into considerations around the wider cryptoasset market and its regulation.

House of Commons Commission

Speaker's Counsel: Operating Costs

Mr David Jones: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the cost of operating the Office of Speaker’s Counsel was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Sir Charles Walker: The House of Commons Commission has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Palace of Westminster: Waste Disposal

Rosie Cooper: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether there has been an increase of the number of disposal bins in (a) men's toilets and (b) accessible toilets across the Palace of Westminster since October 2019.

Sir Charles Walker: There have been no additional bins placed in men’s toilets. However, since May 2021 there has been an increase of 64 nappy bins in accessible toilets across the Estate (Lords/Commons).

Portcullis House

Priti Patel: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the Commission has had recent discussions with any party on utilising the space in Portcullis House previously occupied by fig trees; or if the Commission has received any representations by (a) hon. Members and (b) stakeholders on this matter.

Sir Charles Walker: The trees in Portcullis House were removed as they had become root bound, and as a result were no longer viable.House teams are developing plans for the space in the Portcullis House atrium now the trees have been removed. The use of the space has been raised with the Administration Committee and it discussed the matter on 31 October. The Committee will be consulted later this year on the plans as they evolve.